


ODSS

by firerwolf



Category: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2016-03-04
Packaged: 2018-05-24 19:15:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 52
Words: 148,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6163710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firerwolf/pseuds/firerwolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the early years of the Spartan II program a single spartan was separated from the main class and placed in a team of ODST. Now Kathleen-113 and her team of Orbital Drop Shock Spartans Have to face rebels, Covenant, and Flood.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introductions

Year 2552

12 pods slammed into the ground in, scattered throughout the field. The hatches released and 11 marines in regulation ODST armor jumped out, weapons at the ready. A single soldier in a full set of Mark V armor leapt onto the hard broken street MA5B assault rifle firmly in hand. The soldiers immediately opened fire on the Covenant that were nearby and still disoriented by the sudden arrival. The grunts that hadn't been killed by the initial impact were cut down by the hail of bullets. The area fell into silence as the gunfire stopped and the last of the aliens let out its final breath. The soldiers shouldered their assault rifles and grabbed a second SMG from their pods before gathering in the lobby of a nearby hotel. The once elegant interior of the building was ruined. Burnt and destroyed armchairs were scattered about and the hotel check in desk was covered with plasma burns. The soldier in Mark V armor moved across the street stopping at the corner. The soldier checked around the corner and then motioned the others forward. The marines moved up the side of the building, keeping low and close to cover. The Mark V armored soldier took point as they rounded the corner. They moved down the street past broken down buildings and slipped into a vacant alley. The Spartan motioned to three of the soldiers and then at the corner across the street.

Without a word the three marines moved across the street. One of the soldiers checked around the corner before opening a COM channel. "Park's filled with Covies. Not really active, mainly look like they're waiting on something," the solder reported.

The Spartan motioned to the three and they moved back across the street joining back up with the main group in the alley. "Peter, James, David, you're Red Team. Get that HAVOK in place. Everyone else is with me as Blue Team," the Spartan ordered and the marines nodded. The three marines grabbed the nuke and moved off to put it in place.

A marine, his corporal insignia freshly painted on the side of his helmet moved over to the Spartan's side. "What are we to do?" he asked.

"We are running the distraction," The Spartan replied. "Do you still have those explosives?" The corporal nodded. "You'll be with Emily. Gather round and listen up cause this is the plan."

Luke and Matthew moved into place at the side of one of the buildings near the edge of the park. Once they were sure that a patrol was passing one of the marines hurled a grenade and shouted. "Frag out!"

The two jackals that had been on patrol were caught completely off guard. They didn't even have enough time to turn on their shields before they were engulfed in the blast. Cries rang out through the gathered grunts and few jackals that were in charge. The vulture-like creatures shouted and pointed in the direction of the marines, trying to direct the other aliens to the target. Three red acknowledge lights flashed on the marine's HUD and the soldiers ran down the street away from the grunts. They rounded the corner and the grunts scurried after them. Several of the jackals screeched at the grunts instructing them to go around the block to try to cut the humans off.

"Flood waters trying to make a side stream." Max reported over the radio looking down at the grunts from his roof top perch.

"Understood eagle eye." The Spartan replied before switching channels. "Pyros, set off one through four."

"Creating a damn," Tym replied. "Light them up," he said turning to Emily. The female marine activated the detonator that sat ready in her hand. Just as the grunts were walking down the street the explosives went off. Two explosions ripped through a theater on one side of the street. The forces of the blast brought the front walls of the building tumbling down. The set of charges went off in the upper levels of the building and the large neon sign broke loose crashing to the ground. Several grunts were crushed under the sign and the following debris of the building. As soon as the wreckage has settled Tym turned back on his radio. "Damn created, flood flow blocked," he reported.

"Good," The Sergeant replied. "Ready the rest of the charges. I don't want those ugly bastards straying from the path," the Spartan ordered. The Sergeant then turned to the closest soldier. "How soon until they reach our location?"

"ETA is in one minute ten seconds," Edward replied.

The Spartan nodded. "Get ready to piss the little buggers off." Edward and Tobias nodded and tensed as they readied themselves. They waited until the barks of the grunts were loud and clear before moving. The Spartan moved forward followed the by the two marines. They fired blindly toward the advancing line as they moved across the street, shredding the front line of grunts. Having found what little courage the they had the aliens continued advancing and once they'd passed the line of dead grunts the soldiers tossed several grenades, turned, and running down the street a bit, making a left around a corner. The soldiers jumped behind chunks of rubble that were scattered around the area from the initial Covenant assault. Luke, Matthew, and Patrick were waiting for them. "Don't let them pass but don't fire until they are on the mark," The Spartan ordered as the marines ducked behind the rubble. The grunts came scurrying around the corner unaware of the waiting soldiers. The Spartan waited until the grunts were close enough before giving the order. "Open fire marines!" The six marines stood up, took aim, and fired. The quick three round bursts found their marks, ripping though the grunts' heads and necks. The bodies started to pile up in a line. The grunts continuously tried to climb over their fallen brethren. Once the Sergeant was confident the majority of the grunts and jackals were in place the Spartan reestablished radio contact with Tym. "Spring the trap."

"Burying the trash," Tym replied, setting off more explosives. The buildings at the corner came tumbling down on the covenant soldiers.

"Red team reporting that nuke is in place," Tobias reported as he moved over beside the Spartan.

"Good, tell them to head to the evac point. We'll meet them there," the Sergeant ordered.

"Yes ma'am," Tobias replied. He then moved off to tell the others and give the orders to Red Team. The marines moved off, out of the city and toward the shore of the large lake near the center of the forest.

The marines came to a stop at the edge of the forest around the lake. The Sergeant looked down the shore and spotted the pelican that was waiting for them. She motioned them forward and the marines moved over to the ship while staying under cover. The Sergeant moved out into the clearing holding her assault rifle above her head to show that she was a friendly. The navy pilot that was waiting turned toward her. "You must be petty officer Bardly," the Spartan guessed

The pilot snapped to attention. "Yes sir. My girl's ready to fly as soon as you are." The solder stared up in awe at the sight of the Spartan.

"Good, cause we're dusting off in two," The Sergeant ordered. The pilot nodded and moved back into the ship. The Sergeant motioned to her team and they moved out of the bushes. Red team appeared a few meters away. The marines moved into the ship, the engines flared to life, and the pelican rose into the air, moving away from the city. The Sergeant pulled an electrical pad from her belt and keyed in the activation code for the nuke. In a flash the city became a great ball of light. The Sergeant activated her radio and made contact with the ship above them. "This is Sergeant Major Kathleen-one-one-three. Mission has been completed."


	2. The ODSS Program

0000 HOURS MARCH 30, 2525(Military Calendar)

Kathleen was numb as she stood in the waiting room. It had been years since she'd actually been alone, but for the last few weeks she'd been growing accustomed to it again. Where once she was always surrounded by the other Spartan trainees, she now woke up every day in a medical bay with no one. When she'd gone under for the augmentations there had been over seventy Spartans, but when she'd woken, there had been only her. The medics had explained to her that there had been an error during the augmentations and that she was the only one to have survived. It didn't make sense to Kathleen that she was the one that survived. Why not John? He'd always been lucky. Or Kelly, who had had always been strong? She thought of her team, finding it hard to believe that Will could die in such a way, that James or Sheila had gone under and never woken up, and she couldn't explain how much it hurt that she'd never see Fred again. Once again her family had been stolen from her, and she'd never gotten to say goodbye.

She was still lost in these thoughts when a man entered the room and moved to stand in front of her. Maybe he would have been taller than her, but that was before the augmentations. She'd sprang up in height and now stood over six feet tall, meaning that the adults she used to be able to look straight in the eye now had to be looked down on. She finally realized that the man was watching her and she really looked at him. The man appeared to be in his thirties, his hair was a dark brown, and his dark green eyes were glaring at her. She then noticed the Gunnery Sergeant insignia on his uniform and quickly moved to stand at attention, realizing her fault.

The man didn't speak right away, he just stared at her before he motioned for her to follow him; eventually leading her into an empty office. Kathleen glanced around the room, her training demanding that she do an assessment of her surroundings for safety. The desk near the back of the office was littered with documents, file folders, and what looked to be personal affects. The chairs were in an odd arrangement and from the scuff marks on the floor it looked as though they were moved often. The couch against the side wall had a pillow and blanket on it that were folded and set to one side, but the indent in the cushions indicated that he slept there often. On the walls there were pictures of soldiers and the Sergeant himself from various years, and a marine flag was hanging on the center of the wall behind the desk. As the man moved around the desk Kathleen spotted the edge of a tattoo on the Sergeant's neck, but she could make out exactly what it as his uniform covered the rest of it.

The man took a seat, but Kathleen remained standing as was appropriate. "You are Kathleen-113?"

"Yes, sir," Kathleen answered curtly. She'd never met this man before and she hadn't been told anything else since she'd been informed of her teammates' deaths. And she'd spent the last couple weeks in physical therapy, readjusting to her new body. Having to learn to walk again had been frustrating, but she'd used the task to take her mind off of how empty her life had become. There was no more talk of training, only recovery, and Kathleen feared that they would keep her out of the field; so she made sure to put extra dedication into regaining control of her body, and she'd recently been told that she had recovered quicker than the doctors had expected. Her body was almost back to its old coordination, her eyes had stopped bleeding in the morning, and she felt almost back to how she did before the augmentations - just with seventy less friends.

"I am Gunnery Sergeant Bill Saran," the man introduced himself. He looked every bit a marine, from his serious look, to his hard jaw and his straight posture. "After the mishandling of the SPARTAN-II Project, you are being removed from the care of ONI and placed in the care of the Marine Corps." That was hopeful news for Kathleen. If they were handing her over to the marines they weren't going to let her training go to waste. "The program as you knew it is being scrapped, seeing as it failed." Kathleen bristled at that statement. She hated the idea of the UNSC labeling her team and the rest of her fallen comrades as failures. "You'll be taking part in the new ODSS Project affective immediately, and are hereby under my command. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir," Kathleen answered. She wasn't sure what to make of this. She didn't understand what "ODSS" meant either; but still, she did like that she'd be under the marines.

"You and your soldiers are to be housed in the Alpha barracks. Your team should have already arrived and begun settling in. Your belongings and new training gear have already been relocated there as well," Saran explained.

"Sir, _my_ soldiers?" That part didn't make sense to her. She could understand working with a new team, but she'd been told before that she wasn't allowed command of other soldiers.

"Yes, your soldiers," Saran repeated. "From here on out you'll be the squad leader for the ODSS. You will create a daily exercise regimen for yourself and your team, and what that entails is being left completely up to you. I will be giving you orders including creating future training exercises in which will test your team, their training, and your leadership. Your objective is to make your new team as good as you are, if not better. They are now your team, your family, and their lives are in your head - so train them well." Saran leaned back in his chair and motioned to the door. "That will be all, Squad Leader."

Kathleen left as she was directed, her mind digesting the new information and her new position. She'd never been a leader before and the very idea of it was so foreign to her. She also had no idea what to expect of the soldiers under her command; she had no knowledge of their prior training, or how even to train soldiers herself. Still, she was never one to back down from a challenge. She was alive and she'd get the job done. After all, that was what they'd been taught to do. Impossible was a foreign word to a Spartan.

Kathleen reached the barracks and hesitated before entering, realizing that the moment she stepped foot into the building her task would start. She stood up a bit taller, feeling the weight of the title "Squad Leader" settle. She wondered if John had felt the same pressure when he'd been made leader of the Spartans, but she doubted it. He seemed to have become a leader on accident, but Kathleen was being made a leader out of desperation. She was sure that out of all of the Spartans she wouldn't have been their first choice for this, but she was the only option now. Kathleen admonished herself for even letting those thoughts enter her mind. If Fred had said similar things about himself she would have smacked him, so it wasn't acceptable for her to do so either. She wasn't only in charge of these soldiers, she also had the legacy of the Spartans to consider, so there was no room for doubt.

Kathleen forced herself to move forward and into the barracks. She heard the soldiers before she saw them, the clearest being the voice of a man who sounded annoyed. "Are you always an ass or are you just trying to get beaten up bad enough on the first day that you get sent home?" It was followed by the sound of a cot being pushed across the floor.

"Do I need to break your nose?" a woman snapped.

"What?" another male voice spoke up, seeming guarded. "Now, what did I do to get threatened?" Kathleen closed her eyes and just focused on the voices, keeping count and listening for anything helpful about them.

"You've been staring at me for a while. What's your problem?" From her tone the female soldier was likely frowning, and Kathleen could guess glaring at the man she was talking to as well.

"I was just thinking about something you said." The man's voice seemed calmer, not feeling as threatened. "I mean, you said you were sent here for ODST training. That's what I was told as well. Is that what you were told?" There was a short pause before the man spoke again. "Well where's all the other trainees? Eleven is too small for this base, and I haven't seen any other soldiers."

Kathleen was stunned by the information. The soldiers she'd been given were to be ODST, something she was pleased to hear. She'd always felt like she identified more with the ODST that she'd fought against, sometimes more than she did with her fellow Spartan trainees. ODST were willing to do whatever it took to get the job done, even if that meant breaking rules.

Kathleen was pulled from her thoughts when a third soldier spoke. "First names. Why wouldn't they put our last names? My last uniform had only my last name, not my first."

The rest of the conversation was lost to Kathleen as her mind started to put the pieces together. She now understood exactly what her task was, though she didn't know exactly how she was going to do it. She just let the soldiers talk while she considered what course of action to take and what she'd need to train them. She ended up standing outside the room for several minutes before she decided what she would do.

Kathleen turned, moving into the barracks with her head held high, but she let her stance and motions be more relaxed. All eyes turned to her as she entered and Kathleen looked over the group. She wasn't particularly happy that out of the eleven total soldiers, ten of them were male. She'd hoped for more women, but she didn't really get a choice so she'd just have to deal with it. They all remained silent, as though because she was last to arrive they already knew who she was. Kathleen kept her silence for a few seconds, letting them wait in anticipation for her to speak, but also knowing that the first thing she said would be important. She considered thinking it out but the words just spilled forth. "I thought I was being given proper troopers. But all I see are squids sitting around in my barracks." She was rewarded with frowns from most of the soldiers, though some of them seemed neutral about the insult. "Oh well, I suppose I need to fill the time until my real soldiers arrive, so I'll see what I can make of the seafood I've got . Get your asses moving, fish food." The lone female, a blond haired male, and two men with brown hair stood at attention but the others remained seated. Kathleen wasn't about to put up with refusal of a direct order, and moved over to stand in front of one of the men that was still seated. "I said… Up!" She reached down, gripped the underside of the cot, and with an effortless motion flipped it, sending the soldier to the ground.

Just like that all of the soldiers were on their feet, and the one she'd sent to the ground was scrambling to get up. She didn't know what to make of the stunned looks on their faces, unsure if whether it was because of how easily she'd done it or because she'd done it at all. "We're going for a march," Kathleen informed them. "Now move!" The soldiers moved on her command and Kathleen easily strode to the lead before heading out across the base. Her soldiers marched to the firing range, and as Kathleen expected, it was empty. She had each soldier take a DMR and start firing at targets. Kathleen stood back, watching them and gauging how they worked. She observed how easily they used the weapon as well as how good their aim was.

Kathleen noticed someone approaching and she turned to see Sergeant Saran approaching. She stood at attention and turned to face him. "Squad Leader," Saran said, a harsh tone to his voice. "You are aware that your training wasn't supposed to start until tomorrow, are you not?"

"I am aware, sir," Kathleen answered. "This isn't training, it's testing. If I were training them they'd be using pistols or ARs, their targets would be further away, and they wouldn't be allowed to leave until they could hit the target to my satisfaction."

Kathleen noticed the momentary pause from her soldiers as she laid down what was the first they'd heard of what was expected of them. Saran narrowed his gaze, studying Kathleen's face for any sign of bluff or intention. Kathleen kept her face serious, and she'd meant what she'd said. Saran finally nodded, and after a glance toward the soldiers, spoke. "Carry on, then." Saran turned and walked away without another word. Kathleen figured that was either a sign of approval, or that she'd just be chewed out later. She hoped the former, but she'd worry about that later. For now she'd just focus on her soldiers.

She kept them at the range for almost an hour, testing them on a variety of weapons. She was glad to see they all at least had a basic skill level with each weapon, though she noted a few were better than others. Once she was satisfied she moved on to another idea she'd been fleshing out while her soldiers fired. She led them out into the forest, far away from the center of the base. Her path wasn't straight and she led them deep into the trees, seeming to have no real route to where she was going. They only really started to move in any sort of recognizable direction after they found a river and Kathleen had them march along the bank.

They had been marching for almost three hours when Kathleen finally brought them to a stop. She had her soldiers line up along the edge of the river. Kathleen moved out into the water and turned to look at her soldiers. "Your next task will be right here." She motioned to the water around her. "You are to catch as many fish as you can, and remember there is a winner in this." Kathleen walked back to the shore, moving to a clearing up the bank and sitting down with her back against a tree. "Get to it."

For the most part the soldiers seemed to hesitate, thinking through how they were going to tackle the assignment. The single woman didn't hesitate however, and walked right out into the water and stared down at the shimmering surface.

"What are you going to do, nag the fish into flopping up onto the shore?" one of the men called from the bank.

The woman reached down, and if Kathleen hadn't had her senses heightened by the augmentations she was fairly certain she would have missed the woman whipping the stone through the air. It collided with the man who had spoken, hitting him in the head. "At least I'm not a child who's afraid to get their feet wet," the female soldier called back.

The man who had been hit moved toward the river, but the blond haired man who had stood up in the barracks at Kathleen's first command stood in the way. The man who had been hit glared and was about to speak when the blond haired man spoke first. "You'll scare away the fish." The words seemed to work and the angry man relaxed a bit. "If that is how she chooses to catch her fish than it is her choice. You should be more concerned with how you're going to catch your own." The angry man huffed but moved away to his own task.

Kathleen took note of the scene, their attitudes, and which soldiers stayed focused. It took them less time to start catching fish than she had thought. The woman was the first to catch one, surprisingly using just her hands, but she was soon followed by one of the men who had sharpened a stick and seemed to have excellent aim. In the end five of them had at least five fish while most of the others had at least two. One soldier had sat out, deciding that killing fish to win wasn't worth whatever reward he would get. Kathleen had them all gather their catches and lay them out before her. Kathleen looked over the fish for a couple seconds before she pushed the piles together into one large heap.

The action seemed to annoy her soldiers but Kathleen ignored them. "This will be your dinner," she informed them. "It will be evenly decided up among you, and if you don't want to eat your fish raw you might want to make a fire."

"Wait, so even though the coward wouldn't kill a fish he still gets a share?" One man complained, shooting a look at the man who had abstained from the competition.

"Sorry, if I'd known it was for food I would have caught some," the other man defended. "I'm against the senseless killing of animals, but killing for food is fine."

"It doesn't matter," Kathleen cut in. "This is a team, so the efforts of one are for the reward of all. There is no personal glory, no MVP of the team, just the team and either victory or death." She looked them over and saw that she had their full attention. "From this day on you are part of the ODSS. The soldiers beside you are now your family, and you better get used to it because you're not getting rid of them. You're mine, and the only thing that's going to take you all from me is death. Now, eat." She motioned to the fish and sat back to see what they'd do.

It didn't take long before someone suggested a fire, one soldier offering to light it as he oddly kept flint in his pocket. The others set about to collecting wood while Kathleen studied them more. Slowly she was starting to get a feel for them and she started to figure out how she'd train them. She watched who seemed to get along with whom, and which ones rubbed each other the wrong way. These soldiers weren't Spartans, and she knew that wasn't what she wanted them to be. She didn't want to take their trooper spirits.

It wasn't long before they had a fire going and they started cooking the fish. Someone had found a flat rock from the river and set it on the center of the fire, using it as a cooking surface to prepare three to four fish at a time. Kathleen sat back, watching as her soldiers fussed over how well to cook each fish and if they were done. When every last fish was cooked they started to divide them up. This was where Kathleen stepped in, divvying out the portions herself. She gave each of them two fish and took eight for herself.

"I think you should fire your math teacher, because they didn't teach you how to divide evenly," the tallest of the soldiers said. A couple of the others seemed shocked by his words but they stayed silent, less they be seen as taking sides with him.

"Maybe you should watch your tongue when talking to someone that can break your jaw with little effort," Kathleen shot back. "If you'll shut your mouth I'll teach you something - namely that these fish are more than just dinner. They're a representation of success, praise and approval from the UNSC." They were all listening intently now and she was surprised at how easily they gave her their interest. John had always commanded the attention of his squad with ease, but she didn't have that natural flair for leadership like he did. When he spoke he sounded like a leader, and at that moment she wondered what she sounded like to her squad. "Today you accomplished your task and as a team. You all equally received approval, or fish. I, as squad leader, get to receive the most approval for that success. But at the same time if we fail I will be receiving most of the blame. I don't plan on failing, that's not an acceptable outcome for a marine. But I can guarantee that we will break rules, as I find rules to be annoying, and I will take all the blame. The good comes with the bad, and as your squad leader I'm ready to carry that weight." Kathleen shrugged slightly. "That, and I've gotten pretty good at ignoring people when they nag me for breaking orders." The comment received a few amused smiles from the troopers, which was a good sign. "In the future it won't be like today. Starting tomorrow, when your real training begins, I will be by your side - running alongside you, doing the same exercises, and shooting with you. We're a team, family; and when it doesn't come to giving orders, we are all equal. Or at least we will be. I'm going to make you as good as I am, and I'm the best there is."

"How do we know you're any good, ma'am?" A man she recognized as being named Tobias asked.

"You'll find out exactly how good tomorrow, when you all want to drop and I haven't broken a sweat," Kathleen answered. "Now I have an open question for all of you. Do you know what ODSS stands for?" A few of the soldiers shook their heads and the others just frowned as they thought. "The best way to explain it is to first explain who I am. My name is Kathleen One-One-Three. No last name, just a number." They didn't seem too surprised by the information but were all listening. "I was part of what was called the SPARTAN-II Program, but it failed. Every last one of us except for me was killed by medical procedures that were meant to make us stronger, faster, and smarter. The project has since been scrapped and I was moved into this assignment. The ODSS: Orbital Drop Shock Spartans. Spartans, the best trained soldiers, but better. I was ordered to make you as skilled as I have been trained to be. I don't know if they meant before or after the surgeries, but that doesn't matter. I'm going to make you better than Spartans, and I won't accept failure. Just as ODST are better than marines, so you will be better than the Spartans. I'm not going to be nice, I'm not going to baby you, and I'm not going to pat you on the back for doing what you're told. You can be sure, though, that I'll teach you everything I know. I'll have your back in combat or when the brass come for you when you screw up, and I'm going to make you into something greater than has ever existed in the UNSC. You don't really get a choice, you're stuck with me now, but I'm a part of this team and that means I'll see you through until the end." Kathleen picked up one of the fish she'd set aside for herself. "Now eat your protein, you're all going to need it for tomorrow."


	3. Training

1700 HOURS, APRIL 24, 2525(MILITARY CALENDAR)

Kathleen lay in the mud and leaves, hidden in the undergrowth of the forest. It has started raining about an hour ago but it only helped the ODST hide from their enemy. They'd been dropped off about two hours ago with a simple task: get to the top of the hill. At least it seemed like an easy task when they started. That was until they found out there were two squads of marines waiting for them to keep them from reaching the top including several snipers and booby traps along the way. It caused the trainees to pause and rethink what their plan was. According to Peter and David's recon there were a total of five snipers set up in various places and, at least one row of possible land minds about half way up the hill, and another twenty or thirty soldiers waiting for them at the top of the hill.

It wasn't the kind of odds that Kathleen liked but they weren't more than the ODSS could handle. The team was currently hiding in the forest around the base of the hill while they prepared for their assault. The forest only went to the base of the hill but stopped almost fifteen yards away from where the ground started to rise. It meant they'd be out in the open the rest of the way up as there was no cover from the forest on. On top of that they hadn't been given any weapons. It was a scenario that they hadn't faced before. In the past they'd always been given some sort of weapon even if it was just a knife but this time there was nothing. It was going to be one hell of a mission.

It had taken the last hour and the luck of the rain to make up their plan. From the clouds above the down pour wouldn't stop soon which would help. The cloud cover coupled with the rain made it poor conditions for even the best of snipers. Kathleen was sure that they wouldn't have been ready for this much rain leaving weapons water logged and sniper miserable. If she could have insured that it would continue to rain she would have held off their assault to let the soldiers get more annoyed and ready to give up but she couldn't control the weather.

The ODSS waited until night had almost completely fallen before they made their move. With the dim light and the rain still falling their black body armor would be adequate camouflage against the waiting snipers. Kathleen took David, Peter, and Tobias with her as they started to slowly crawl their way up the hill. It was slow going crawling on their stomachs slow enough that they wouldn't be spotted but for the thrill of victory they were willing to take the extra time and insure they didn't lose.

Half way up the hill they spotted the perches that the snipers were using along with the turned up earth that marked where the land anti-tank mines had been set up. They crawled along the edge of the mine field until they found the worn out path that the marines had used to bring their troops up the hill. They had come up by foot and had stomped down the dirt over a patch of torn up area. It would have been an idiotic move to place a mine under the area but Kathleen wouldn't have put it past the marines. She knew, as they all did, that the marines never liked loosing and were willing to try desperate measures to win. She took the lead slowly crawling forward keeping to the worn part of the path. She'd thought about waiting till they had to have supplies taken up to them but the Gunney had placed a time limit of three days to get to the top of the hill. Her SPARTAN training told her she needed more time but the part of her that was becoming more and more of an ODST told her they could do it in an hour if they didn't want to prove their tactic skills.

As Kathleen moved she listened carefully for the tell tail sound of a mine being tripped but there was nothing. She supposed the marines had known they would need a way down when they lost. Once all four were past the mine strip Kathleen motioned to David and Tobias and then to the east before motioning to herself and then Peter then the west.

The two teams split up heading in opposite directions toward the sniper perches. The snipers had chosen to construct camouflage tents to hide themselves on the green grass but they had been easy enough for Peter to spot. The two moved up the side of the hill a bit more coming around behind the sniper who was without a spotter. They must have figured that with the mine strip below nothing would get past their range. They would just have to learn the hard way not to underestimate the ODSS. Kathleen's fist made contact with the back of the marine's skull knocking him out. Peter quickly grabbed the sniper rifle grabbing all the TTR sniper rounds that he had. He then moved into position with Kathleen watching his back as he took aim at the next sniper in line on the hill. A swift and silent shot hit the marine in the head paralyzing him and making him dead in the combat. The two moved to his position making sure that he was out. Kathleen took the sniper rifle and slung it over her back taking the side arm from the downed marine and all the ammunition he had for it. If they made an assault on the top of the hill they were going to need every bit of fire power they could get their hands on. Peter took out the third sniper and the pair again moved to check that he was out before raiding his weapons and ammunition. David and Tobias soon joined them having finished off the other two snipers.

"Couldn't see anyone higher up but they might all be bunkered in up there for all we know." Tobias reported. "We got two sniper rifles with rounds and two side arms from out kills."

"Same for us but three of each." Kathleen said leading the others back to the side of the hill they had started on. She flashed a red laser pointer that she'd stolen from one of the techs before the missions. The other eight ODSS moved out into the now deep darkness of night moving across the clear break in the mine strip and up to the others. The ODSS split up having a sniper take the spot of the old sniper but now facing up toward the hill. Not the ideal position but when your target was up hill you shot up hill. One ODSS covered each of the snipers while the two remaining slowly creeping forward. Kathleen sat back watching as David and Edward moved up the hill toward their enemy. They disappeared behind the top of the hill and Kathleen waited patiently for the sound of gunfire.

Oddly the shots never came. David reappeared and shouted down to the others. "There's no one up here. Are you sure this is the right hill?" He asked.

Kathleen moved up the hill to stand by David. For a moment she thought they must have had the wrong hill. There was no sign of anyone having even been up to the top of the hill. "You said there were soldiers up here," she said, glaring at David.

"I said I thought there might be. I never said we saw anything or anyone actually up here. We couldn't get past the snipers to get a clear view," David defended.

"If this wasn't the hill then why were they protecting it?" Edward asked looking very annoyed with the prospect of another fight having been a lie.

"Maybe they were trying to throw us off. Are there even actual mines in that strip down there?" David asked.

"Tobias, check the mine strip for actual mines," She shouted down to the now confused soldier. He didn't question though and moved off down the hill. "If this isn't the hill then where is our target?" Kathleen asked.

A moment later there was an explosion and Tobias returned joining the other three at the top of the hill. "Yeah there are real mines down there."

"What was the point of all this then? What was the point of all of that? Fighting past snipers to find nothing, why make us do it?" Kathleen wondered aloud.

"Now what do we do?" David asked as the rest of the ODSS gathered at the top of the hill confused by the absence of people.

"We pop smoke and the pelican comes. There's nothing else we can do. We got to the top of the hill and that's what we were ordered to do," Kathleen replied. Emily tossed down the signal and the familiar bright orange smoke poured forth bright even in the dead of night. It took the pelican only minutes to come for them and take them back to base.

Kathleen once more found herself standing in the Gunnery Sergeant's office as he stacked papers on his desk. She stood still trying to understand the day's exercise when he finally spoke. "So how did the mission go? Got to the top of the hill?" he asked, his face neutral. He should have already known the answer but he acted as though he'd been told nothing.

"I believe we did, sir," Kathleen replied. "We reached the top of the hill as you had ordered us."

"You sound unsure soldier. What is it that is troubling you?" he asked, as though the entire conversation was not between himself and a subordinate.

"Sir, there was nothing at the top of the hill," Kathleen answered. "No soldiers, not items, no nothing. Why did we need to reach the top if there was no point to it?"

"Are you sure there was no point to it?" Saran asked. Kathleen looked at him confused by the words. "Sometimes what your goal is, what you get from doing something, is not a physical or tangible thing. Sometimes where you expect there may be enemies you may not actually find any. Maybe you were just clearing a way for a team that was looking for something that you can't find because only they know where it is."

"I think I understand, sir. The purpose was to illustrate that the target or goal is not something we always understand but it is our goal." Kathleen replied.

"Something along those lines, yes." Saran agreed. "As ODST you are sent in to clear the way for ground forces. You are not always the main force of the task but rather the means by which to set greater plans into action." The Gunnery Sergeant turned his attention to one of the files on his desk. "That is all for now. Have your team be ready for a new challenge tomorrow."

"I assure you they will be." She said before saluting Saran and leaving the office, a new found understanding of her team's place.


	4. First time out

0700 HOURS, APRIL 30, 2525(MILITARY CALENDAR)

Kathleen sat in the meeting room surrounded by her soldiers. Saran walked into the room with an odd air of what Kathleen could only call nervousness around him. His walk was stiffer, his eyes were unfocused not meeting the gaze of any of the soldiers, and his hands seemed unsure of where to be or what to do. The marines stood and saluted the Gunnery Sergeant. "As you were," he said before moving to the head of the room. He looked the soldiers over before she started. Something definitely seemed off to Kathleen. Saran had never acted this way before. He'd always treated them as though they were expected to listen, hang on his every word, sometimes not even looking at the soldiers when he gave orders. "Today's the day that you've been working for. I know you're all familiar with Victoria and its history. Three hours ago a rebel group attacked a small town just south of one of its larger cities. They killed every man woman and child there. It's a good distance from the city, almost 100 klicks. Intelligence believes that the town is a covert base and served as a training ground for the rebels before they headed toward the city. The alert came from a patrol group that was in the town when the rebels attacked. They managed to inform us of the situation before we believe they were wiped out. These rebels have a supply of weapons though how much they have is unclear at this point which were likely purchased from pirates. We know for a fact that they have battle rifles and pistols. According to the report we also believe they have rocket launchers. They aren't well trained from what knowledge we have gained but they are reckless and having successfully taken down one town seems to have made them cocky and more dangerous. This is where you will enter into the picture. A pelican will take you down and you'll parachute in between the rebels and the city. These soldiers will be using live rounds and as will you. This is no exercise; this is the real thing so shoot to kill. Keep in mind these people are not fellow marines, they are not instructors, they are murderers and a threat to civilians," Saran explained. "Any questions?"

Kathleen raised her hand. 'Sir, what equipment will we be receiving for this mission?" she asked. In her mind this was all just another exercise. The Sergeant controlled every aspect. Where the enemy would be, what weapons they were given. In her mind she knew that he couldn't control the actual enemies. This wasn't an exercise and her soldiers would be in real danger.

"Standard battle rifle, frag grenades, M6C pistols and standard issue combat knives are all you'll be given. The upgraded armor that's being prepared for your squad isn't ready yet, so you'll have to make do with the standard armor," When he saw there were no further questions, he nodded before turning to Kathleen. "As of this time you are promoted to Sergeant."

Kathleen stood and saluted. "The rest of you are officially promoted to the rank of private. I wish you all luck," Saran said before saluting the ODSS. They all stood and returned the salute. Saran let his hand drop and left the room leaving the marines in silence.

Kathleen turned to her soldiers. "I want everyone ready to leave in thirty. We'll gather in the hanger. I want all weapons secured, ammunition checked, and armor inspected. I don't want anyone loosing anything in the drop," she ordered. "Now get to it."

Within twenty-eight minutes the ODSS had gathered in the hanger. Every soldier had a battle rifle, pistol, frag grenades, and a combat knife, all secured to their armor. Kathleen looked around at them with mixed feelings of pride and nervousness. She had prepared them as best she could but there was still the risk that they could all die on the mission. The only thing they had risked before was failure but now they were putting their lives on the line. Failure would be much worse than just a day without food. Still, they all seemed eager to get moving. There was an air of excitement about as they secured their weapons and equipment. As soon as they'd triple checked everything the marines boarded the pelican. The ride down was silent, as though they were all holding their breaths in anticipation. Kathleen activated her HUD and VISR system. The VISR system that was in the armor was crude, the latest prototype of the upgrade that was being made to their personal armor. Despite its flaws, it still worked well enough for it to be useful in battle. The system tagged enemies and friendlies with different colors when they were in view and gave a readout of how far away they were. From what they'd been told of the upgraded version outlined everything from people to objects, making the world easier to see in the dark. But for now the dumbed down version would have to do. Though there had turned out to be problems with the system. The first time they'd tested it out they found that out in the sunlight there was too much ambient light for the system to help at all. The VISR was really only meant for use in dark areas. If they wanted to be able to use the system they'd have to carry out the assault in enough shade that the light wouldn't blind them.

The pelican slowed and the back hatch opened revealing the wide open field below it. Kathleen motioned and the soldiers moved forward one by one. In a matter of seconds the sky was filled with descending troopers.

As soon as they hit the ground the ODSS released the parachutes quickly gathering them up before moving into the tree cover. They gathered by a large rock in the center of the forest and hid their parachutes there. They wouldn't be needed for the rest of the mission.

"All right, there's a road that's about three klicks east of here. We know that for now they are taking that road. They have some vehicles which I suspect would be the warthogs the soldiers had been using. We should still have a bit of time before they reach us, which will give us time to set everything up. Did you bring the mines?"

"Managed to snatch two mines without anyone seeing," Tym replied, patting the extra pack he was carrying.

"Good, we'll need them. We don't want them to be driving past us after all," Kathleen said, taking one calming breath. "Remember, leave none alive. These people are criminals and murders. They're trying to kill us, but we'll kill them first. Move out."

Half an hour later the soldiers were crouched on either side of the road. The rumbling of what sounded like warthogs slowly approached. "Four warthogs about two point five klicks away," Edward announced.

"Wait for the boom, then open fire. You know what to do after that," Kathleen said, checking her battle rifle one last time. They waited patiently as the rumble grew closer and closer to their position. The noise started to pass them and Kathleen tightened her grip on her rifle. There was a large explosion caused by the lead warthog hitting the mine they'd buried. The marines popped up and fired at the second warthog in line. In less than a second the fire rebels were dead, slumped in their seats. The ODSS then slipped back into their cover and into the forest. As was expected, the rebels eagerly jumped out of the vehicles. Whether it was the want for revenge for their fallen fellow rebels or the pure blood lust, the rebels ran into the forest after the soldiers.

Kathleen switched on her VISR. From her spot in the shade of the trees the light was low enough to allow her to see as though she were out in the sun. Luke and Max, who were on either side of her, showed up on her HUD marked with green as friendlies. They were hard to see, though, as the plants they had used for cover blocked her view of them. They were crouched in the undergrowth in wait for the unsuspecting prey. The red dots that represented the rebels grew closer and closer. Kathleen aimed at the rebel in the center where the red dot was growing brighter and brighter. She flashed a yellow status light signaling her team to wait for their targets to get closer. When the rebels were within range and the dot was flashing a bright red Kathleen flashed her green status light. The marines opened fire cutting down the rebels. Kathleen ceased fire, and raised her left hand, causing the others to cease and lower their weapons.

She clicked on the radio. "Report," she ordered, coming out of her cover to check over the dead.  
"Rebels neutralized," Tobias replied. "They had more than just battle rifles though. One of these bastards has a shotgun. Damn crappy intelligence."

"Collect it and return to your previous position," Kathleen ordered.

They checked the dead rebels and restocked their ammunition. Kathleen checked their guns looking for any trace of where they'd gotten them. She frowned as she checked the magazines in their weapons. They had so few rounds left in their actual weapons. Even if they'd gotten off any shots it wouldn't have been enough to do any real damage to her or the others. They either had no way to tell how much ammunition they had left or they didn't care. It concerned her. These rebels weren't just reckless; they were stupid.

Kathleen made her way back to their original hiding spot along the side of the road. She pulled out her pistol, moving slowly so as to not be seen. One rebel was left sitting in the driver's seat of one of the warthogs. He seemed nervous, like he was fighting to try to decide to stay or leave. He'd most likely heard the gunfire and, with his comrades not having returned, was getting worried.

Kathleen took aim and fired off one shot. She was rewarded with the driver slumping in his seat, slowly covering the steering wheel with his blood. She signaled to Luke and he slowly moved forward to the side of the warthog. He moved to the driver's side and checked the pulse to be sure the man was dead, though the large hole in the back of his head was just as good of evidence. Luke turned and gave a thumbs up, signaling that it was safe. After checking over the warthogs for any explosives they removed the dead bodies and lay them at the side of the road. The ODSS split up climbing into the warthogs before turning the jeeps around and heading down the road back to the town the rebels had come from.

They came to a stop outside the town. "It doesn't look like there's anyone here," Peter commented. "Though those thirteen guys couldn't have done all this," he added, referring to the bodies that lay in the street. The victim's blood soaked into the sand out of the bullet holes that covered the corpses.

"We'll go on foot from here. If they are still in the town they'll be in the buildings," Kathleen said, jumping out of the warthog. "We'll split up into three groups. Tobias, Emily, Luke, Max. You move along the left side of the town. Tym, Edward, Matthew, Peter. You'll go along the right side of the town. Myself, James, Pat, and David, will take the center."

The soldiers nodded and the teams split up going into different directions. The town was a virtual ghost town with nothing but dead bodies covering the ground. Doors had been kicked in and families slaughtered while others had been shot in their backs while trying to escape. Kathleen wondered if this would become a common sight for them. Would they always arrive just in time to see that they couldn't save the civilians?

"This is just carnage, pointless carnage," David muttered, looking over the bodies. It was hard to find reasoning behind the death of all these innocent people.

Kathleen ignored the comment pushing the thoughts of the dead around her from her mind as she turned on her radio. "Report."

"We haven't found anything but dead," Tobias replied sounding disappointed. "Found the dead soldiers though. They must have been caught off guard. Probably having lunch or something when those bastards busted in," he said, with an odd tone in his voice that Kathleen could only guess was agitation. Anger would be understandable in this situation. Those soldiers were comrades, brothers in arms, and they'd been killed.

"We found the rebels," Tym reported. "They seem to have made themselves a nice little base of operations."

"Stay where you are. We'll regroup at your location," Kathleen made a few hand gestures and her team moved off.

The soldiers gathered outside a bar with boarded up windows. "How many rebels?" Kathleen asked.

"From what we can see there are about seven of them," Tym answered. "Three rebels standing guard while the other four just sit around at the tables."

Kathleen nodded and looked to the bar trying to figure out their next move. "Is the front door the only way in?"

"No, there's a door in the back. We could probably pick the lock in seconds," Tym answered.

"Good, take your team around back. Pick the lock and wait there. When you hear gunshots come to the front and kill the guards. Try not to shoot any of us though."

He nodded and his team moved off Kathleen then motioned to Tobias and he moved over to her. "Your team's with us. Aim at the ones at the tables. Don't worry about the guards."

The eight solders moved along the sides of the building staying low against the wall. They stopped on either side of the door and waited. Tym signaled that his team was in place in the back of the bar. After a few hand signals James moved forward and kicked the door open nearly breaking it off its hinges. Kathleen and Luke moved into the door way and opened fire, aiming at the rebels sitting at the tables. Unprepared and unarmed the battle rifle rounds ripped through the surprised rebels with ease.

The guards raised their guns, firing at the ODSS. The back door to the kitchen swung open, and Tym and Matthew came out of it, opening fire on the guards' unprotected backs. The gun fire stopped and a calm quiet filled the bar.

"Clear," Luke said, lowering his gun and letting out a long breath.

The others entered the building, searching it from top to bottom. They found nothing but the bodies of the rebels and the owner of the bar.

"There's nothing here," Emily reported, as she returned from checking the upstairs rooms.

Kathleen moved out of the bar making contact with the ship above them. " _Star Fall_ , this is Seirra-113."

The radio was silent for a moment before a voice replied. "This is _Star Fall_ , go ahead Seirra-113."

"All rebels have been neutralized. Town's been cleared," Kathleen reported. Once more she got that odd feeling that she couldn't quite place.

There was a pause before the voice returned. "Seirra-113, there is a pelican on its way."

"Understood." Kathleen turned off her radio, moving back into the bar. "Dust off in fifteen." she informed them. "I want one more sweep."

The soldiers moved off, checking over every building one last time. "All clear," Tym reported. Kathleen simply nodded staring at the road that led out of the town. "What are you thinking?"

Kathleen remained quiet and Tym feared he'd over stepped his bounds as her subordinate. It was fine to be casual in an exercise, but this was a real combat field; it was serious work. "Thirteen soldiers," Kathleen finally spoke. "What did they think they were going to do with thirteen solders against a big city with cops?"

"They aren't trained soldiers. Considering they probably had no trouble here they may have been overconfident and underestimated that the city would be much bigger. Bet they felt pretty big after killing solders," Tym suggested.

"But why did some of them stay behind? If they were finished here then why have some stay?" Kathleen asked, turning her attention to the other marine. "And on top of all of that why us?"

"I don't think I follow," Tym said, glancing back at the bar for a second. "What do you mean, why us?"

"I mean, why did they send us to do this? These rebels aren't skilled enough to require us to have to handle it. Why not send us after someone important like Watts?" she reasoned. Her team was the best and they were being wasted on rebels that any footsoldier could have handled. The ODSS should have been handling bigger tasks.

"Watts is the rebel leader. You can't expect them to give us something that important for our first mission out," Tym pointed out. "It's just a test, like those ones the Gunney always gave us."

"I don't know. Something feels wrong. Like we're not being told everything," Kathleen said, shaking her head. She turned her attention skyward as the familiar sound of pelican engines filled the air. The ship landed just outside the town in what had probably once been someone's back yard. The ODSS boarded the pelican and returned to the waiting _Star Fall_ above.


	5. Memories

Something felt wrong to Kathleen. Everything seemed fuzzy, unclear, as she looked around, scanning her surroundings. She vaguely recognized the area as the training forest on Reach she had worked in back with the Spartans. The familiar scent of fresh rain filled her nostrils as things slowly came into focus.

A heavy arm, heavier than it should have been, landed on her shoulder, slung around her in a non-threatening manner. She turned to look at the person beside her. The movements were out of sync, though, making her head spin for a moment. The world had passed by quicker than it should have, but her movement had felt sluggish. It almost felt as though she were trying to move through water. Her heart stopped for a moment and she felt like she couldn't breathe as she stared at the person beside her.

The face could be none other than that of a concerned Will, one of her fellow Spartan IIs. "What's wrong, Kat? You look sick," he asked, though the sound was all wrong, like he was miles away, though she could see him standing right beside her. She could hardly even understand the words that he said.

Anger shot up as she pushed him away, nearly falling over. Her movements were all mixed up. The young man's weight was too much and her movements felt sluggish while everything moved so fast. She had lost all her strength and she moved as though she had weights on all her limbs.

"I told you not to call me that. My name's Kathleen," she snapped, and the words came out muffled as well. She remembered it all clearly now. She remembered the way the others, like Will, had teased her about her full name. She couldn't think straight long enough to concentrate on one thing. A part of her mind tried to focus on what was wrong with her body while the other part of her mind wanted to be swallowed by the memories of her fallen comrades. She hadn't thought about Will in years, but it all came flooding back leaving her drowning in the memories. Her mind seemed to be as unable to focus as her body was to respond to her actions.

"I don't see why you won't let us shorten it. Kat is so much quicker," Fred argued, moving up on her other side. Kathleen hadn't even heard him move, something that unsettled her more than anything else. She hated when others got the better of her.

"Oh, leave her alone. She's allowed to be called whatever she wants to be called," Sheila said, coming up behind Kathleen. The other female Spartan smiled warmly at Kathleen as though it could smooth it all over.

"You're just saying that because your name can't be shortened," Joshua countered, walking up beside her. Kathleen flinched a moment causing the world to once more spin as it became uneven for a moment.

"Really, what's so special about your full name?" Will asked, as he removed his arm from her shoulder.

Kathleen frowned, trying to clear her mind enough to remember. For some reason she couldn't remember why her name mattered so much to her. She was reluctant to admit she didn't know the reason why it was important.

"I don't have to tell you why. I don't go around calling you Frederic and William, so don't call me Kat," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. They'd have this argument plenty of times and it always went the same way. She almost missed the slight flinch of the boys when she said their full names. She knew nether of them liked their full names which was why she only ever used them when she was mad.

"Get moving, Spartans," a voice shouted, drawing the attention of the five soldiers. Kathleen recognized the other Spartan right away but it took her a moment to remember the name. She had never been close to him but he was their squad leader, John or something. The other Spartans materialized like ghosts around him, staring at them. Kathleen felt like they were all staring at her. All ghosts of her past and the failed mission that left her alone.

"Yes, squad leader!" Fred shouted, back turning to Kathleen. "Come on Kat, don't want to be left behind," he said before taking off at a run toward the others. Will, Sheila, and Joshua followed, all moving like blurs as they and the others disappeared into the forest.

"Wait up," Kathleen shouted, taking a step forward to chase them down. She felt awkward, like her body moved out of line with her mind. Her foot didn't move when her mind told it to. The limb was heavy like it was encased in cement. She fell to the ground confused and alone. "Don't leave me," she muttered, letting her eyes close and her head fell to the ground hopelessly.

She never felt her head hit the grass. Her eyes opened and she found herself staring up at the ceiling of the ODSS barracks. The world was bright and vivid around her, even in the dark, while the quiet breaths of her team were crisp and clear in her ears. It had all just been a dream, though good or bad she wasn't sure. She felt a sorrow, the same she'd felt when the other Spartans disappeared, leaving her alone. She hadn't thought about the Spartans since she'd been given her own team and that seemed like an eternity ago.

Somehow seeing Will, Sheila, Fred, and Joshua again had reminded her how alone she was. Even in her own team she wasn't exactly one of them. Yes, they trusted and followed her but in the end she wasn't particularly close with any of them. Even John had been close to Kelly and Sam. She had to admit that she would always be a Spartan among ODST. She would have to live with their loyalty alone. In the end it would only hurt her more if she made friends with any of them. If one of them died on the battle field the pain of the loss of a friend may endanger their misson. At least that was the logic she was using in her head. She may not be an ODST but these soldiers were her ODST and she was going to lead them to hell and be sure they all made it back.

She sat up looking around at her soldiers. Everyone was an elite warrior trained to be more fearless and strong than any other. She was proud of what they'd become. Despite their physical limitations she was sure they could give any Spartan a run for their money. She noticed movement to her right and turned to look at the figure.

"Still feel like something's missing?" Tym asked, sitting up. After their first assignment they'd been sent out on mission after misison that seemed to under-utilize them. Every time they had been sent out, Kathleen felt like they weren't being told everything. She nodded to the question. "Any ideas what it might be?"

Kathleen shook her head. She wasn't even sure how likely it was that anything was being kept from them. The only evidence she had was a feeling, and that wasn't good enough reason to try to confront Sergeant Saran about it.

"You going to talk to Saran about it?"

Kathleen almost scolded the private for calling the Gunnery Sergeant by his name but she stopped. He had always been the kind of soldier that they didn't feel comfortable calling Gunney but with her recent promotion to Sergeant they were reluctant to call him Sarge. He had trained them. He'd been the father figure that taught them everything that they knew. Calling him by his name or Gunney seemed somehow disrespectful.

She shook her head again and Tym sighed. "I see you're in a talkative mood," he joked, trying to lighten things.

"Obviously not as talkative of a mood as you, shrimp," Kathleen shot back, knowing that he hated short jokes. Out of all her solders he was the shortest and they all teased him about it. "Go back to sleep," she instructed. He merely shrugged and lay back down.

"Maybe one day you'll be talkative enough to tell us when something's wrong without being asked," he muttered as he pulled his blanked up and settled in.

There was a snort on Kathleen's left side and she turned to look at Tobias. From his breathing it was obvious to her he had been faking sleep. "It'll be a cold day in hell when that happens."

"Both of you go to sleep," Kathleen ordered, starting to get a bit annoyed by the jokes. She was serious, but mocking your CO was supposed to be something you didn't do.

"Yes, Sarge," they said in unison.

Kathleen waited until she was sure they were asleep before she lay back down. She stared at the ceiling unable to stop her mind from racing.

For some reason she was sure the other Spartans had something to do with her suspicions. She'd always wondered why there had been no funerals for them, even though they gave their lives in the line of duty. She never got her chance to say goodbye to the only family she remembered. They had been her brothers and sisters, gone through all the training, all the hard times, even taken the big jump with her, though they hadn't survived.

Now the ODSS were her family, her brothers in arms. She couldn't stop herself from doubting how truthful the UNSC was being about it and couldn't stop the bit of anger the doubts created. She trusted the UNSC, they made her what she was, and she was doubting them. She hated herself for it, but in the back of her mind she knew it was possible that they would lie. She hated liars, though the reason for her hatred was another thing she couldn't remember, like why her full name mattered so much.

She slowly drifted off, her mind too tired to continue to think. She was again plagued by memories of the Spartans. Memories of Fred and Will teasing her, of Sheila and her mocking the boys when they couldn't keep up, of her and Joshua on the shooting range, and memories of days spent in the woods, and she enjoyed every moment of it.


	6. The set up

2000 HOURS, JUNE 27, 2525(MILITARY CALENDAR)

The whole bar smelled of smoke and Kathleen hated it. She'd never liked the smell, even when Chief Mendez had smoked. From the frown and slightly sick look on David's face she'd guess he didn't like it. Edward seemed fine, as though he couldn't even smell it at all.

The only reason they were there was because they were waiting for Matthew. This mission was like nothing they'd really ever expected to be doing. They'd come to the planet on a commercial ship dressed as civilians. They'd had to smuggle their equipment in making Kathleen feel like they weren't here to protect the people. It felt more like they were hiding from them, something ODST did not do. It all bothered Kathleen.

They were used to, and trained in, a more forward approach, but here they were waiting for Matthew to bring them their informant. Of course, the man didn't know that he was an informant. She and her team were playing the part of former soldiers that were looking to join the local rebels. If they knew that they were active soldiers trying to infiltrate the rebel forces to take down their leader he would never talk to them.

Kathleen would prefer to take the guy in a back room and interrogate him but they'd been working for several weeks to build up the credit to even get the guy to talk to them. The UNSC had crafted names and back stories including dishonorable discharges for weapons sales for each of them and she wasn't about to destroy all that work when the guy might not even know anything.

Matthew finally returned, sliding into a seat across from Kathleen. She had to admit that without the military fatigues her troops easily passed for normal. Matthew had been their choice to lure the man in because he had the ability to look the least threatening. His blond hair, green eyes, and charming smile just screamed that he loved puppies and would never hurt another soul, though she knew that wasn't true. Edward was able to look cool and natural but there was a hint of who he really was. His blue eyes were ice with a bit of human warmth to them but she knew from experience that it was just a way of hiding what was under. What was under was an Aryan race demon, a person that liked the job of killing. David seemed a bit between though. Somewhere between the harmless Matthew and the ice cold Edward, like a corporal that you can joke with at lunch but when you get to the battle he's all business.

A nervous-looking man took a seat beside Matthew, not even looking at the group. He checked over the entire room before he finally turned his attention to the soldiers. He sat in silence, stunned by the sight of the Spartan. He finally snapped out of it, looking at the others.

"So, you guys want to join the rebels?" He tried to play it casual as though he hadn't just been staring at one of them.

The man obviously didn't know how to be subtle. Any smart man would have been less forward and looked less scared. It would figure though that only the lowon the latter would be willing to try to deal with ex-soldiers. Most likely the man thought it would raise him in the ranks of the rebels if he could get soldiers to become rebels.

To Kathleen all people that weren't soldiers were selfish at heart. They had their own desires and even if they hid it as trying to do what was right for the people, they were really in it for themselves.

"Got that right." Edward was playing the part of the leader as he was the best actor and the most able to pass off as normal.

"Your friend here tells me you were all soldiers. Why would you go against the UNSC?" The man leaned forward on the table. They'd thought of that question a long time ago.

"Being a soldier's a job like any other. Just because we worked for them doesn't mean we agree with them." Edward frowned, leaning back in his seat. "We've fought rebels and they were just normal people, and when you listen to them they really just want freedom. As people that were slaves to the military, forced to harm innocents, we can understand that want and want to help you gain that freedom. You can also say it's a bit of an apology for the past actions against the rebels."

He was a better actor than Kathleen had expected. Sure, he could walk the walk, but he could also talk the talk and make it believable. She knew he loved the UNSC and the freedom to kill. On top of that he'd made it clear before that he believed that the rebels were not innocent and deserved what they got. Despite that here he sat, and if she didn't know better, she would think he meant it.

"So what can you offer us? You know, weapons, what kind of training?" The man picked at his nails, sounding unsure if they would be of use.

"We're former ODST. Doesn't get better than us." Edward pulled up his right sleeve enough so that the man could see the flaming skull tattoo on his shoulder. It was one of the two that he'd gotten when the team had decided they needed tattoos.

Kathleen personally liked the other one better. It was a simple scythe between his shoulders with the words 'I am' above it and the word 'death' below it. It was better than the one that Emily had gotten. She'd gotten a cross on her left wrist with the word 'executioner' below it. It had never made since to Kathleen as Emily had no sort of faith but the ODSS had insisted it was an inside joke. It must have been one that was outside of the ODSS because no one else but Edward seemed to get it.

"All right, meet me at this address tomorrow night at nine." The man sliding a piece of paper toward Edward. He left without another word, leaving the bar trying, but failing, to look casual.

Matthew turned to Kathleen as Edward slid the paper toward her. "What do you think? Think we can trust him?"

She paused to think over the question and trying to decide if the man was just an idiot. "We go for it and be ready for it to be a trap. There's nothing more we can do. If we don't show they'll think us weak and if we do and it's a trap we kill them, but we can't miss our opportunity."

They paid their tab leaving the bar to return to their hotel. The six solders that had come were staying in two hotel rooms in one of the more run-down hotels. They didn't really mind though, it kept up with the soldiers-scorned-by-the-UNSC appearance they were going for. They were small rooms with two beds and a couch, enough room for three people each. The dusty white walls and gold carpet seemed tacky to Kathleen but she wasn't expecting to like the room. A soldier never really liked the fox hole they were sleeping in either but it was somewhere safe and somewhere to keep their stuff.

"How'd it go?" Emily looked up from the battle rifle she was cleaning. She'd been watching the news from the looks of it and the fuzzy news channel she was watching on the small TV that was in the room.

"We're meeting him again tomorrow night. We're not sure if it's a trap, so we'll have to be ready for anything." Kathleen took a seat on one of the beds. "You two will tail us. If shit gets bad we'll need the help. We can't afford to let this guy get away." Emily and Max nodded. "I want you two to scout out the location. Just pass it; I want to know what kind of area we're dealing with." She passed the address over to Max.

"You got it, Sarge." Max took the paper and looked it over. The two left and the room fell into silence with only the sound of the newscaster's voice informing them of the most recent case of an animal saving a human's life. The solders fell into their routine checking over their side arms until the others returned.

Matthew and David both lay on one the beds. Edward sat down on the edge of the bed that David was laying on and continued the cleaning of the battle rifle that Emily had been doing earlier. "You mess with her equipment, she'll kill you." Matthew looked over at him chuckling slightly at the idea.

"She won't kill him, she might threaten him but she won't kill him. They like to work together, remember?" David lay back on the bed, pillowing his head on his hands. He crossed his legs and took a deep breath relaxing. "It would be like Luke killing Peter."

"Well, now that would never happen." Matthew chuckled to himself at the idea of the two men killing each other. "She might actually punch him. I'd like to see that, just to find out how it all plays out."

"I don't think I'd want to find out mainly because it would scar me for life and I wouldn't be able to look at them without feeling shame," David sat up grabbing his knee when Edward slammed his fist down on David's shin.

David gave him a non-threatening grin, trying to calm down the killer marine. "This is your only warning, the next time you make a crack like that I'll hit you hard enough that you'll lose some teeth." Edward turned away from him and back to his task.

"I hear you loud and clear, good buddy," David sighed, glad that he had gotten away with a warning hit.

Kathleen was ignoring them, used to the soldiers fighting with each other, even more in close quarters while they had to wait for something. She instead was watching the news, a bit entertained by it. The current story was one of a science fair that had happened at a local school. The people all seemed so happy with the simple little event in their life. They acted as though it was a big event that would change the course of history. She sometimes forgot how mundane the lives of civilians were. Compared to their life it seemed so boring.

The room's door opened and Edward had the battle rifle pointed at it. He only relaxed when he recognized that it was Emily and Max waling into the room, though neither of them seemed threatened by the weapon. Emily stormed over to him and held her hand out. Edward passed the weapon to her but didn't seem fazed by the woman's annoyance. "Who said that you could touch my weapon?"

"So, do tell. What's the place look like?" David holstered his weapon as soon as Max shut the door.

"It is just an old warehouse. I guess an ideal place to have a meeting, though it seems a bit old-school to me." Emily shrugged as she sat down next to Edward on the bed. "No real signs that it's being used for anything. Sign out front though said it used to be automations factory."

"Any signs there was anyone there when you passed it?" Kathleen leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "How many levels?"

"No signs of life, three levels." Emily looked up at the ceiling, drawing on her memories. "Though the higher levels look like they might not be stable."

"You could still fit a lot of people in there. We don't know how big these forces are or how well-armed they are." Kathleen looked down to the floor, mind going to work.

"I'm sure no matter how many there are we can take them. I'm sure they don't want to start a fight in the middle of town where people could hear and call the cops." Edward leaned against Emily, using her to prop himself up.

"Maybe they'll be nice enough to take us out to the country where we can kill them and no one will hear them scream," Emily leaned a bit with the man's weight against her. She had an oddly sweet smile that just made her look crazy.

"So are we not going to go? I mean it's still a really big risk of being caught." Matthew lay back looking up at the ceiling.

"No, we're going. We just have to be ready for this to get bad real fast. Let's all just be glad our orders are to kill not capture the guy." Kathleen looked up from the floor. "Now get some shut-eye. We'll have to be well-rested for tomorrow." The ODSS had a quick fight over who got what bed and who was sleeping on the floor they settled in for the night.


	7. The take down

2100 HOUR, JUNE 28, 2525(MILITARY CALENDAR)

Kathleen hated cars, and for a good reason. They were just too small for her Spartan size. Here she was, though, crammed into the back seat of a car. The first location they had been given wasn't where they were heading now. When they'd arrived they found their informant and one other man present. They had crammed Edward, Matthew, David, and her all in the back seat of a car that only meant to carry three adults and, if you forced one in, a midget.

When the car finally did stop and they were let out, she couldn't get out fast enough. The cramped space gave her no room to move and it had left her feeling a bit stiff. She stretched out trying to loosen up her muscles. She looked over where they'd stopped and wasn't at all surprised. They had driven out into the country far away from the lights and people of the city.

What was odd was the building they had arrived at. The building was an old style mansion though it looked like no one had taken care of it in years. Paint peeled from the walls, shutters hung by a single hinge, and the door looked like it if you knocked on it too hard, it would splinter apart.

The two men led them to the house, pausing only for a moment to knock in some code before the doors were pulled open for them. One guard stood on the inside of the door though he didn't look like he was awake most of the time. The inside wasn't much better than the outside. The tables and chairs were worn and old and the floor creaked with every step. If you turned off the lights it would make a perfect haunted house.

Edward took the lead, playing the part of the guy in charge. There was a lack of security. It either meant that the rebels were off doing something, or it meant they were so few in numbers they didn't have the manpower. The UNSC had been trying to stop this group early so maybe it was the latter. To pose enough guards

The man led them down a hall of doors, a total of six which could all could be hiding danger behind them. For all Kathleen knew each room was a housing area for soldiers. They'd have to worry about it when the time came to get away. For now they had to focus on their main target.

They were led to a large oak door that had two guards standing on either side. One of the guards opened the door into what was the library. The shelves of books that covered the walls looked like they'd never been touched, all the books in perfect condition but covered with dust. Inside the room there were two more guards who closed the door behind Kathleen. Her attention, though, was drawn to the center of the room and their target.

His name was Benjamin Donal. He'd been part of the Colonial Military some years ago. He'd been under suspicion for some time for helping the rebels, and it seemed now that they had been right all along. Too many times supplies such as explosives went missing under his watch and it had been noticed. He'd left the CMA about half a year ago and that was when the group on this planet had appeared. This confirmed the suspicions as facts, but as she looked at him now there was no doubt in her mind that he'd been working against them for a long time. That he'd been responsible for the death of UNSC and CMA soldiers alike.

"So you're interested in joining our group?" Donal sat straight up in the red leather chair he was sitting on. He was obviously trying to make himself look like a strong leader, though he was failing to Kathleen.

His military uniform almost made him look like a soldier except it was a CMA uniform. To any real solider the CMA was like a joke. Their soldiers weren't properly trained, they had bad equipment, and because so many CMA soldiers were suspected rebels, they never got the hard jobs. Compared to ODST training the CMA training was a picnic on a perfect day. From the insignia on his collar Donal had risen to lieutenant, but in an army like the CMA even a private of the UNSC could be a Sergeant. Kathleen wasn't impressed, though she didn't let it show.

"Yes, we're interested in assisting you in your cause, sir." Edward stood at attention as, though the lieutenant insignia meant anything at all to him.

Donal seemed pleased to be called 'sir'. The damned pride of humans was usually their downfall. "So, I hear you're all former UNSC ODST." He motioned toward Kathleen. "Is she naturally that way?"

"Yes, we are all former ODST." Edward grinned a bit at the second question. "She's all natural."

Donal paused as if trying to tell if Edward was lying. As far as Edward knew, Kathleen had been born a giant with inhuman strength and reflexes. She'd never told them about the other Spartans; she had been ordered not to. Saran had blatantly called it a cover-up to a failed project.

Donal nodded. "My apologies for my suspicion. You can't be too careful with all the rumors about giant soldiers that attack rebels. Your friend fits the description," he explained, as he stood. He tried to look commanding and proud, but after having worked with Saran, Kathleen felt like he was mocking the role of leader. The Gunnery Sergeant looked like a rock hard leader all the time without trying. This man was trying way too hard.

"Oh, we completely understand." Edward put his hands up to show he was unarmed. "The world is a dangerous place and you can't always trust people right away anymore."

With Donal standing it was obvious he was unarmed. No gun on his belt and the way he stood was too straight for any sort of hidden arm. That put Kathleen at ease enough to make her move.

"Enough." Kathleen turned to one of the guards. "You should have taken our weapons."

She moved forward like a flash of lighting. She easily snapped the first guard's neck. The other turned to face her, but David's combat knife found the second guard's heart, and he crumpled to the ground. Kathleen turned to find Edward cleaning off his own knife, Donal lifeless in the chair, throat slashed open.

Matthew and David took the battle rifles the guards had been carrying but hadn't had the time to use. Kathleen and Edward drew their side arms.

"That was too easy." Edward slid a round into the barrel of his gun.

"It's the CMA. What do you expect, an operation like what Watts had?" David checked over his rifle, satisfied that it was usable.

"Not exactly, but more than this." Edward frowned as he glared down at the dead rebel leader. "I barely got to kill anything. Every rebel group should at least have a few things for me to kill."

"Well, it's not over yet. We still have to get out of here and back to town without our car." Kathleen pulled back the slide of her gun to load it. "We break out of here, kill the two guards outside the door and run for it. Kill anything that shoots at us if you get a chance. Once we get outside, Emily and Max should be waiting for us and we can use the dark to make our escape. On three. One, two, three."

The soldiers threw open the door, catching the guards by surprise. David and Matthew took out the guards with a quick three round burst to their chests, and the rebels dropped. The soldiers made a break for it, sprinting through the house. The sound of bullets firing through the air surrounded them. A few doors in the hallway opened to reveal what seemed to be unprepared rebels behind them. The soldiers fired toward the group, taking out a few of the rebels and forcing the others back into the room.

Kathleen ran ahead, slamming her shoulder against the front doors and knocking them off their hinges. She felt a single shot hit her left leg as the guard that had been posted at the main door opened fire. He fell a second later as a bullet from Edward's gun found his head. The soldiers dashed out across the yard, jumping over the untrimmed bushes that lined the walkway up to the mansion.

The rebels stopped at the threshold and opened fire after the soldiers that were quickly becoming shadows in the dark night. Shots echoed from across the lawn and two of the rebels fell as Max and Emily opened fire from their hiding spots at the tree line. As soon as the main group passed into the trees, Emily and Max followed after weaving through the trees toward the city.

Once they'd gotten closer to the city limits, the soldiers had stopped just long enough to bandage up Kathleen's leg. They disguised it enough to look like she'd just wrapped a bandana around her leg as a fashion statement.

The UNSC had preset their evac point and it meant crossing the city to get to it. Kathleen was just glad it would be through citizen covered streets rather than through the forest. The rebels wouldn't be able to open fire on them without alerting the cops of what was going on and that was too great of a risk.

They ditched the rifles before they made their way down to the city streets so they wouldn't be given away. Kathleen noticed that they were getting a few looks from passing civilians. "Loosely scatter and head to the evac point."

Max and Matthew moved to the other side of the street, starting up a conversation about what they wanted to eat for a late-night meal. David dropped behind Kathleen a good distance—behind, but still within sight. Emily and Edward moved a bit faster, pulling ahead, Edward putting his arm around Emily's shoulder and chattering nonsense about a movie that had come out not long ago. Kathleen had to admit that she'd somehow taught them how to blend in with a crowd, despite the fact that she felt like she stood out like a sore thumb towering over the other people.

It took them longer than Kathleen had hoped to get to their evac point. The streets had been crowded and there had been no direct path from one side of the city to the other.

They finally reached the waiting pelican, though it seemed like an odd place. It was sitting in a local park and the pelican was obviously out of place. It was a bit unsettling, but Kathleen held her tongue, not bringing up her worry. She wondered how many of her soldiers were doing the same thing. They filed in and took their seats, glad to be somewhere they considered safe.

Kathleen grabbed the com for the radio, making contact with the ship above. " _Star Fall_ , this is Sierra-one-one-three."

She was surprised that rather than being answered by an unknown communications officer Saran replied. "Sierra-one-one-three, this is _Star Fall_ , you done on the ground?"

"Yes, threat has been neutralized. We are returning to the ship." She kept the unease from her voice. Too much was different and wrong at the moment, and something was odd in Saran's voice. His voice was like ice over the radio and she could almost see his furrowed brow and deep frown.

"Good, 'cause we've got bigger things to do." Saran's voice was no longer hiding that something was very wrong. Whatever it was, it must have been very big. A nervous pilot, Saran directly answering the com, and on top of that the worried tone.

"Exactly what kind of bigger things do we have to do?" Kathleen bit her tongue as she waited for an answer.

"We made contact with alien life." Saran's voice made it evident that it wasn't a good thing like the science nerds always hoped. "They smoked our asses and whipped out the ships we sent. They're supposedly out to kill all humans. All UNSC personnel are being reassigned to face the new threat."

"Understood." Kathleen put the radio back in its place. What more could she say?

"New assignment?" Matthew sounded a bit excited. Kathleen supposed it was because the last mission hadn't been as fulfilling as they'd all been hoping.

"Like none we've ever had before." Kathleen's voice was as cold as Saran's had been, but tinted with anger. The others fell silent, anticipating the fight ahead.


	8. Covenant

1000 HOURS, AUGUST 25, 2525(MILITARY CALENDAR)

Kathleen checked over her gear one last time, making sure it was all there. Her team was doing the same thing before leaning back into their pods. The SOEIV pods made it much easier to follow right on the heels of the covenant attacks. They would be dropping out of slipspace any minute and when they did the ODSS would be dropped onto the planet.

Kathleen leaned back in her pod, closing the door. She double checked her HUD, being sure it and the VISR system was working. When all status lights turned green, she contacted the bridge. "Staff Sergeant Spartan one-one-three reporting ODSS ready to drop."

"Copy that Sierra-one-one-three. Drop in one minute." The communications officer was cold and distant as always.

Kathleen made sure that her radio was set to the team channel. "Be ready for hell on the ground. That means gas breathers, birds, and whatever else they decide to throw at us."

"I'm sure they'll have stationary guns. What else can they throw at us?" Luke didn't seem all that worried.

Peter seemed a bit annoyed. "Don't ask a stupid question like that. They might just answer it."

The ODSS hadn't had that much actual contact with the covenant. They'd only been fighting them for about a month and a half, and most of the contact had been with grunts and only a couple jackals. Grunts were easy enough to kill, even easier when they were scared. Jackals were only a little harder to kill than the slightly shorter aliens. Peter could pick off snipers with ease, and as long as you could get past the energy shields of the others, their skulls caved in nicely. Still, there were so many of them, and soldiers were dying at their hands.

She shifted a bit, uncomfortable. The higher ups had insisted she wear different armor from her soldiers. They called it Mark IV MJOLNIR battle armor. It made her stronger and faster, like she needed it. Kathleen personally hated the armor. All her soldiers wore the signature ODST black body armor and here she was in her giant olive green MJOLNIR.

The light in her pod turned from red to green, and the world fell out below her, drawing her pack into the world. She watched the other pods follow soon behind her own pod. The shark-like Covenant ships hung in the air as she fell, reminding her of her enemy and how different they were from anything else that humanity had ever fought.

Kathleen looked down at the planet that she was hurtling toward. The surface was partially scorched already and she only hoped that there would be someone, or something to save. She'd seen planets that had been what the UNSC called 'glassed'. The life burned from them by fire from above like they'd been smitten by an angry god. She supposed that was sort of what the Covenant had been going for, the feeling that this was the work of a god, not mortals.

She hit the atmosphere and the slight rise in heat that she was used to was absent. The tech had mentioned something about climate control systems in the suit; seemed they worked. She looked out, glad to see all 11 of the other pods breaking through the atmosphere successfully. She closed her eyes, waiting for the final thud.

It didn't take long for the bone shattering hit. In this armor, though, it was dull as the armor took most of the impact. Kathleen quickly released her hatch, stepping out onto the soft sand of the Biko beach. Her M7S scanned the area before she ran out across the field. Yellow dots appeared on her motion tracker as the rest of her team followed toward their target.

There was a long list of targets that they were hoping to reach, though she doubted they'd get to half the list before the Covenant started glassing the planet. The first target on the list was a large building that quickly came into view, and from the looks it was going to have plenty of Covenant inside.

Kathleen skidded to a halt, hidden behind one of the burnt up cars that had been parked outside of the building. "What we got?"

Peter looked over each and every level. "I've got jackal snipers on three floors. Carbines, not the beam rifle kind."

"Turrets out front, little bastards manning them." Pat spoke quietly, though their voices couldn't be heard outside of their helmets. "Both are alert and awake."

"So, business as usual." Tobias chuckled to himself. "So what's the plan Sarge?"

"We find whoever's in charge and we shoot them in the face." Kathleen checked over her weapon and plotted out their next course of action. "Are the snipers on all sides?"

There was a long pause as Peter moved around the back of the building to check. "Yep, full 360."

"We're going distraction. Tym, Peter, and James will stay out front. When I give the signal, they'll snipe the front jackals and destroy the turrets. In the commotion, Alpha Team, Edward, Emily, Luke, Matthew, and I, will break into the back right side of the building. Beta Team, Tobias, Pat, David, and Max, will break into the back left side of the building. Each team will kill all threats." Kathleen gave the orders as quickly as she could and the teams all flashed their green lights.

The teams moved into place behind, being sure to hide from the sniper jackal's sights. Once they were in place Kathleen flashed her green status light. She didn't hear Peter's shots, but the snipers in the rear of the building turned. Less than a second later, there were two bangs as the shades in the front were destroyed.

With the snipers distracted, Kathleen's team crossed the distance between their hiding spot and the building. She easily leapt though one of the broken windows on the ground level. The four thuds behind her assured her that her team had followed. They moved through the building, their VISR systems making it easier to navigate the unlit halls and rooms.

They moved from room to room, dispatching any grunts or jackals they found, painting the rooms a nice mixture of blue and purple blood. Most of the enemies were caught off guard enough that the marines didn't fire their weapons, choosing rather to slam their guns into the alien's skulls. Kathleen had to admit it was a satisfying feeling to crush a Covenant's head. As far as she was concerned, they all deserved to have their faces caved in by having something forcefully slammed into their heads. Marines and ODST had died to the creatures and their energy weapons. Every dead alien meant one less plasma pistol firing at the soldiers that would follow her team.

They easily cleared the first five floors, having found that with the sounds of skulls being crushed and fearful cries of grunts. The soldiers really only had to worry about the jackals that were partially occupied with trying to get the grunts to stop running away.

They did hit a problem when they reached the sixth floor. The aliens on this level must have heard the noise below and had been ready for the marines. Kathleen ducked back into the stairwell just in time to avoid being hit by a large blast of energy from an overcharged plasma pistol. The green ball hit the wall, leaving a large burn mark on the once clean white wall.

"We've hit trouble on the sixth floor." Tobias' grumbled something over the com. Kathleen couldn't make out the words but she knew that it was some sort of curse.

"Same here, damn jackals have a barrier made of their shields." Kathleen glanced out. "Have they seen you yet?"

"Don't think so. They seemed to be distracted by something." Tobias peeked out from his own position. "What's the plan for getting through them?"

"We'll have to make them give us an opening. Alpha will blast them back, and when they give the chance Beta will finish the job." Kathleen took one of the grenades from her belt. She lobbed the grenade at the feet of the jackals, and the explosive force of the grenade caused the jackals to stumble back. Luke and Kathleen moved out of the stairwell and fired. Rounds ripped through the jackals, causing the second line to turn to the new threat, shields now up to protect them from the bullets.

"Now!" Kathleen shouted to Beta team. She and Luke slipped back into the stairs as David and Pat moved out of the opposite stairs and opened fire on the jackal's unprotected backs. Purple blood splattered the shields as the rounds found the unarmored flesh of the aliens. The marines gathered in the center of the hallway in front of the doors that the jackals had been protecting.

They were just about to break down the doors when a force behind the metal threw them apart and out toward the soldiers. The bulk of a seven foot tall alien slammed into Matthew, forcing him against the wall. The alien was like nothing they'd seen yet. Its four-pronged mouth spread wide as it roared in Matthew's face, trying to crush him with pure force. David opened fire, but the bullets were deflected by an energy shield that surrounded the entire alien. It dropped Matthew, moving forward, and in a second rammed into David and sent the marine flying. The soldier was pinned to the ground by the weight as the alien grunted out something in its natural tongue.

Kathleen charged forward, slamming into the alien. It turned, righting itself to keep on its feet as it faced the enemy that dare attack it. It charged at Kathleen and she met it half way, surprised to find that the alien was just as strong as her. Even with her enhanced strength from the armor, she was finding it hard to hold it off. The two struggled; each trying to get the upper hand against their enemy. Kathleen couldn't seem to find an opening. The new alien wasn't just showing strength but strategy.

The loud blast of a shotgun resonated as Tobias fired point blank at the alien's chest. The shield flickered and then died, leaving the enemy vulnerable. Kathleen took her chance, pushing the creature away and drawing her M6C. She fired half the clip and the rounds tore through the creature's head and neck, splattering purple blood in a halo behind it.

The alien finally fell to the ground in a lifeless heap. Kathleen stopped to catch her breath and examine the alien. Even with the enhanced armor making her stronger and faster, the alien had been on par with her, and it was unsetteling. The idea of her soldiers trying to take one on hand to hand was even more unsetteling.

"What was that thing?" Edward looked down at the dead alien, nudging it with his foot to be sure it was dead.

"I don't know, but I'd have to guess that it was in charge. Damn, think the thing might have bruised me up some, or a lot." David coughed as Luke helped him up from the ground.

"How do you know that it was in charge?" Emily moved over to Matthew to check on him. The soldier was still gasping for air and trying to calm himself down.

"Well, I can easily crush a grunt's skull. Do you think that something that could have crushed my skull would take orders from a grunt or jackal?" David put up his hands, challenging her to come up with some logic.

"They might if they weren't smart enough to be able to take the lead." Emily smirked behind her helmet.

"Yeah, but that thing ambushed us. That doesn't really say stupid to me." Tobias moved over to them to join the conversation. "I say we just hope there aren't any more of them."

Kathleen finally managed to snap out of her thoughts. "Enough chatter, there's more work to be done."

The team nodded, and they left, leaving the newfound alien behind. They'd have to make a report about it later, but for now they had to worry about the rest of the buildings on their list.

They spend the rest of the day trying to clear all the buildings, and had gotten less than half-way through when they were called back, and had to watch helplessly as the planet was glassed.

* * *

Kathleen stood in Saran's office, her mind still on the lost planet. How many had just lost their home? How many had lost their lives there? Most importantly, how could she make the covenant pay?

Saran sat behind the desk, watching the footage of the earlier encounter with the elite. He looked lost in thought as he watched the footage in silence. Kathleen wondered what was on his mind, though she doubted that he would tell her unless she needed to know.

Saran didn't move his eyes from the images that were still playing. "And you only found one?"

Kathleen nodded, and Saran sighed. "All right, you and your team get some rest. I want you to be ready for some more of these if you find any. I'll make sure ONI gets this." Kathleen nodded and left, leaving Saran alone. Once he was sure she was gone he turned to the holopad in his office. "Maria."

An AI flared to life, her avatar filling the room with pure white light. "How can I help you Gunnery Sergeant?" She smirked and stood up a bit straighter. For an unknown reason she'd chosen the form of a woman wearing knight's armor. Every AI had its own look, though for many of them the choice of appearance was something rather personal and made no sense on the outside.

"Please erase all copies of this video." Saran motioned to the footage of the elite that was now paused, showing the alien crushing Matthew against a wall.

"Sir, shouldn't this be passed on ONI for analysis?" Maria frowned, unsure she had heard the Sergeant correctly.

"All information about the ODSS is top secret; therefore, sharing this with ONI would allow them to know of the ODSS and cannot be allowed. Besides, if they've met one I'm sure it won't be long until the other Spartans meet one." Saran tapped his finger on the desk. "Now delete it."

"Yes, sir." Maria paused for a moment, and the video he'd been watching vanished from the screen. "It has been done."

"That's all for now." Saran waved his hand, and Maria vanished, leaving the room feeling oddly dark. The Gunnery Sergeant leaned back in his chair, feeling unsure of his actions. He was following orders but that didn't make him feel better.


	9. Miridem

0700 HOURS, 2544(MILITARY CALENDAR)

Kathleen's pod hit the ground and she barely even felt it. After 19 years of fighting she'd become a bit numb to it all. Each one seemed to only be another lost battle. After a while you had to become numb to it all or it would become too much. Driven by her desire to protect her team and get back at the Covenant for every planet and soldier she fought through it all, enjoying every Covenant that she killed.

Her team was often dropped into the heart of a conflict for one reason or another, whether by pod or by pelican. That's what they were doing now. The ODSS were being dropped into the heart of the current conflict on Miridem. Apparently the ONI had some important people and information on the planet. Kathleen's team would make a distraction in the center of the city while a naval team extracted the personnel.

The hatch blew off of Kathleen's pod and she came face to face with five grunts that had gathered around, confused. Her M7S rose and in seconds she had cut down the grunts with a satisfying thud as each hit the ground. She slipped out of her pod, moving into the shadows. She melted into the darkness, moving through the streets, avoiding the patrols that she passed to reach the meeting point.

It didn't take long for the rest of the soldiers to gather to prepare to make final plans. "I saw the perfect place to hit." Tym sounded overly pleased. "They've got a dozen wraiths all in one spot. If we destroy those wraiths, the Covies will have lost their big ground fire."

"Then that's our target. We should be able to make a big enough commotion there to give the extraction team a chance. We'll grab a couple for ourselves. Intel says there are hunters on the ground. Lead the way to their motor pool." Kathleen motioned for him to take lead.

They hadn't been told directly that there were hunters, but she'd recognized them from the images that she'd been given. They'd met the monstrous creatures once before and they'd nearly been wiped out by the cannons. It had taken several plasma grenades attached to the alien's head to kill it. Kathleen didn't really want to face one without a tank or a rocket launcher, but when in need a wraith was just as good.

Tym led the group to what had either been a park or a lot that was going to be developed. Whatever it was, it was nothing but trampled ground. The wraith tanks were all lined up perfectly so that they would be ready to be sent out. The layout would work better for the ODSS. Destroying one would damage the wraiths on either side.

"You know, if we wanted, we could just steal all of them." Matthew fidgeted for a moment and then chuckled nervously, hoping his hadn't taken it too far.

Kathleen shook her head. "We'll only take half of them. We'll take the back row and destroy the front row. The six not in wraiths will be needed to protect those inside the wraiths. They can use the ghosts to make it easier." She motioned to the lighter purple vehicles that were set up in groups around the area.

"Who's taking the wraiths?" Tym eyed the tanks hopefully. It wasn't often they got a chance to steal Covenant vehicles and they were very destructive.

"James, Matthew, Tym, Luke, Pat, and I will be taking the wraiths. The others will take the ghosts." Kathleen stretched out a bit, though she didn't really need it with the armor to mechanically enhance her.

The team that would take the wraiths moved across the street, hiding in a broken down apartment building, waiting for their chance. As soon as a patrol passed they sprinted across the street to the wraiths. To be sure there were no slip-ups, Kathleen had assigned each of the soldiers to a wraith, including which ghost would protect which wraith.

Kathleen slipped into her pilot's seat and it all felt familiar. She found that happened rather often with Covenant technology. A plasma pistol felt as normal to her as any regular gun. She'd never driven a wraith before but she felt like she knew what to do. She'd had the same thing happen the first time she'd used a ghost, like it was instinct. She powered up the tank and fired forward. The ball of blue stuck the wraith in front of her and almost as one the others fired lighting up the row in front of them in blasts of light blue as the wraiths were destroyed.

The Covenant didn't seem to know what to do. Kathleen brought the target arrow up for a wider shot. She fired again and the shot soared through the air, hitting a group of confused and startled grunts.

" _Hunters coming up on your six,"_ Edward alerted them over the com. Kathleen awkwardly turned in time to see the hunters coming up on them. The lead hunter was just about to fire when a wraith shot hit it dead center.

" _Damn, I'm good at this!"_ Luke's voice rang over the team channel. " _I make an art out of winging it_."

Kathleen fired on the remaining hunter, leaving only charred armor as a reminder it had existed. "All right, teams of four, two wraiths, two ghosts. Clear out the rest." She turned the wraith down a street. She hit a few lamp posts but the wraith either knocked them down or the fins directed her away from it. She made sure James's wraith was following before she moved off down the street while Peter and Edward followed behind them, their ghosts weaving between the two tanks.

They met with little real resistance. No matter how many passes they made along a road, though, there always seemed to be something to kill. Whether a pack of grunts running for their life or a patrol with an elite urging the others forward to attack. They kept up the sweeps for almost an hour until they were contacted by the ship.

" _Sierra-one-one-three, come in. This is_ Star Fall," the communication's officer called over the radio.

"Roger _Star Fall_. This is Sierra-one-one-three." Kathleen let off another blast and caused the elite to dive to safety though not for long as the ghosts moved into position to finish it off.

" _New orders Sierra. Your team is to destroy the ONI facility_." The officer was hurried and seemed on edge.

"Copy that _Star Fall_. Have all ONI personnel been evacuated?" Kathleen waited for the ghosts to get back into position before moving on.

" _Positive, Sierra. You're doing clean up. Can't let the Covies have the knowledge that couldn't be removed."_ There was a bang on the other end and someone shouted orders in the background. The Star Fall must have been having a bit of trouble in its fight.

"Understood, _Star Fall_. We'll have the place destroyed ASAP." Kathleen switched to the team channel. "New objective. We're heading to the ONI facility to do clean up. Hope you brought a big enough bang."

" _Oh, you know that I did. Not to mention we have the greatest detonators_." Tym fell in line behind Kathleen's wraith.

" _You're too excited_." Emily moved into her place as a side guard for the wraiths.

The line of wraiths moved down the streets to the concrete structure that was the ONI facility. The wraiths lined up side by side outside of the building while the ghost team set up the explosives inside the building.

"Sarge, there's something here you might want to see." Emily's voice seemed nervous and Kathleen noted that the message was over a private channel. She and Edward were standing around what appeared to be a pile of metal. Kathleen exited her wraith and made her way over to the two other soldiers.

"What did you find?" She looked down at the burnt metal. Only part of it was actually metal and it had a distinct human form. Kathleen flipped the person and knelt stunned. The person could only be a Spartan. The Mark IV MJOLNIR armor and almost seven feet tall.

"I didn't know there were others like you." Edward watched his leader carefully, trying to read her, though it was hard behind her visor.

"Neither did I." Kathleen was honestly telling the truth. Had the UNSC tried again to make more Spartans? Kathleen removed the Spartan's helmet and felt surprise slap her across the face. She recognized the face right away as Sheila, one of Kathleen's friends from Spartan training. The UNSC had lied to her and it rocked the foundation of her life. The group she trusted the most had lied to her about the Spartans.

She pushed the thought from her mind. Now was not the time to be questioning the motive and actions of the UNSC. "Explosives set and armed." Tym dragged Kathleen out of her thoughts.

"Everyone behind the wraiths." Kathleen motioned toward the wraiths and the soldiers moved back behind the alien tanks for protection. Kathleen knelt beside the fallen Spartan and removed the dog tags from the body. She slipped them into a pouch on her belt before she moved to join the others.

"What about her?" Edward motioned to Sheila's body.

"Leave it. There's nothing we can do." Kathleen made sure that all her soldiers were behind the tanks. The wraiths would serve as a barrier between the ODSS and the explosion. "All right you little firebug, light it up."

"I like fire, but prefer explosives. They're just more fun." Tym primed the detonator. The ground below them shook as the explosives went off, demolishing the building.

"Should we have been this close?" Luke looked up at the nearly demolished wraith he was hiding behind.

"We're not dead, so it was far enough." Matthew ignored the ringing in his ear and slight vertigo.

"Arm the wraiths. When we leave I don't want any Covies taking them back when we're done." Kathleen watched as Tym took Edward and James with him setting the vehicles with explosives. "Target destroyed, awaiting next orders," Kathleen reported, back to the ship above.

" _Stay where you are, soldier. Pelican's on its way to evac you from the planet_." The communication's officer sounded regretful of the orders.

"We're leaving already?" Kathleen tried to keep the surprise out of her voice, but it didn't quite work. They had really just gotten started with this planet.

" _Covenant's glassing the planet. We're bugging out_." _Star Fall_ was silent for a moment as someone else spoke in the background. " _ETA of two minutes for that pelican_."

"Understood, _Star Fall_." Kathleen broke the connection.

"What's next Sarge?" Emily moved to the Spartan's side.

"We wait for the pelican to pick us up. Planet's being glassed." Kathleen heard a couple of her soldiers curse at the news. They'd already lost so many planets to Covenant glassing but there was nothing they could do. Kathleen stood looking between the wraiths to the carnage of the explosion. The once open area was filled debris and flame, Sheila's body lost in the wreckage. She had no doubt that the dead Spartan would be glassed along with the planet.

The pelican arrived right on time. Just as the ODSS boarded the distinct sounds of jackals and grunts echoed through the air. Kathleen watched out of the back hatch as the Covenant came out into the open. Kathleen stared as a large ape like alien followed behind. Its blue armor shinned in the light of the fires.

"What in god's name is that?" Tym looked to their Sergeant for answers.

"I don't know, but I don't like it." Kathleen bit her lip.

"Well, let's make it dead." Tym pulled out a detonator. He thumbed a button and the first explosive on the wraiths went off. It sent a chain reaction through the line of wraiths, engulfing the area in white and blue light. When the light faded there was nothing but scorched ground left.

"For now it's not a problem." Kathleen closed the rear hatch and took a seat. "Wish we could have gotten a better look, though. ONI would have liked to know about them."

"I'm sure there will be more." Peter frowned, realizing that wasn't a good thing.

"That's what I'm worried about." Kathleen took a deep breath and leaned back. "You saw that beast. It has to be near the level of the split lips."

"Well, they can't be equal." Edward leaned forward, letting himself be drawn into the conversation.

"Why can't they be?" Pat tilted his head to one side, eager to hear the theory. Coming up with theories was one of their favorite things to do while not in combat.

"Well, because the Covenant is a hierarchy, that's what everything we've seen tells us." Edward's voice was cold and logical. "It's subtle, but jackals are a bit higher then grunts. Grunts and jackals are obviously lower than the other two. The question is which one is above which."

"What about hunters? Where do they stand?" David crossed his arms.

"They are walking tanks, they're obviously on top." Luke put his arms out to his side then lowered them when he realized there wasn't enough room.

"I don't think so. Hunters are strong, but not super smart. They couldn't run the Covenant." Edward shook his head.

"So either the elites or whatever that thing back there was is on top, or there's another species that is strong enough to control the others and smart. Let's hope for door number one." Peter's voice was light, not acting as though the topic were all hypothetical and about their everyday enemy.

"Maybe the leader isn't strong, just smart." Kathleen didn't look up as all her soldier's attentions turned to her. "Politicians aren't physically strong but they lead us and not all generals and admirals are able to use force to make people follow them. Perhaps if there is a higher species they are just smart enough to convince the others to follow. We're dealing with aliens that say their gods told them to destroy us. Their weapons and armors may be advanced but they think like Crusade-era knights, easily swayed by religion and the words of priests and prophets. It's not our concern though. Let the spooks worry about it. You just worry about where you're aiming."

The marines fell silent for the rest of the trip. They were being taken back to Reach to try out some new tech that they'd eventually be field testing. The hope was that the new equipment would help ground forces. Kathleen didn't really see the point. The ODSS had victory after victory on the ground but they were losing the fights in the space above. What good could ground equipment do against the glassing of planets?

Kathleen's mind continued to go back to the image of Sheila's body. She wondered how many other Spartans had actually survived the augmentation. She wasn't sure what disturbed her more. The fact that the UNSC had lied to her, that Sheila's body proved the Covenant could kill Spartans, or the way she'd acted toward Sheila's body. She hadn't even taken a moment of silence for her fallen friend. She couldn't figure out a good reason why she cared so little. She had first thought it was because mourning a Spartan would set her apart from her team, remind them what she was, but she knew it wasn't true. When the war took them to Tobias' home planet they'd taken a moment to let him mourn over the ruins of the karate studio he'd learned and worked at before joining the forces. It disturbed her a bit to know she'd showed less sorrow for a dead person then Tobias had for a destroyed building. She had to just face the truth and that was that she'd grown so far apart from the Spartans that their deaths didn't affect her. The good old times with the Spartans had been replaced with the tough times with the ODSS. It hurt somewhere in her to know she was forgetting them, but she'd grown cold toward the hurt since she'd thought they'd died.

As soon as they'd returned to Reach, Kathleen went to Saran. She needed answers and he was the person she trusted to turn to. She stood before his desk, standing tall, feeling the weight of the new First Sergeant insignia on her shoulder. Saran entered the office, looking surprised to see her. "What brings you to my office First Sergeant? I know old habits are hard to break, but you don't report to me anymore." He took a seat behind his desk tossing down a few files he'd brought with him.

"I am aware of that, but I have questions and I believe you are the one that can answer them." Kathleen's words caused Saran to freeze.

"Is that so?" He leaned back in his chair. "Ask away and I shall answer as best I can."

"I turned in my report to the ONI because it contained information about a new alien species we saw and they seemed surprised at the mention of split-lipped aliens. You said that you passed on our encounter with them to the ONI, so why are they surprised?" Kathleen didn't bother to hide the tint of anger from her voice.

Saran sighed, looking away from the Spartan. "The ODSS project is considered to be a classified operation. To have passed it on would have violated that."

"That explains why they were unaware of our previous encounters." Kathleen frowned to herself. "I have one other question sir. Why did you lie to me about the other Spartans?"

Saran tried to keep himself calm. "What do you mean? What causes you to think that I've lied at all?"

"I saw a fallen Spartan on Miridem." Kathleen was rock solid as she spoke. Saran looked up and into her eyes. He didn't flinch at the anger that was obvious in her gaze. "Why did you tell me they were dead if they weren't?"

"We all have our orders, Sergeant. Mine were to tell you that you were the last Spartan." Saran looked away from her and frowned. She honestly believed that he regretted the orders. "I made the promise to myself, though, that if you found out I would not deny it."

"But why not tell me of their existence? Why make me believe they were all dead?" She tried to keep the frustration from her tone. It was hard though.

"That I am not sure of. Maybe they thought if you believed you didn't have Spartans to back up your soldiers then you'd train your soldiers better, or maybe they wanted to mess with you." Saran shrugged his shoulder. "Spooks aren't supposed to be understood. Most of the time you wouldn't even know they existed. That is truly all I know. How many other Spartans survived, I don't know. I don't know if they know you are alive, either, or if they ever will know."

"I thank you for your honesty, Gunny," Kathleen nodded to Saran before leaving. She moved through the halls, stopping as she looked out to the training grounds, where her soldiers were playing a more violent version of soccer they'd made up. It amazed her how they'd managed to find the time to play and perfect the game. She realized that Saran's assumption may have been correct. She had trained them harder when she thought there were no other Spartans. She still didn't feel it justified their actions, but who was she to question the ONI's choices? Some part of her still felt cheated. She knew about the other Spartans, but she doubted they would know about her. She knew Sheila was dead but her mind wondered about Will, Joshua…and Fred. She wanted answers that she'd never get. She would have to just be glad knowing that any of the Spartans she'd once considered family were still alive.


	10. A meeting

1100 HOURS,MARCH 10, 2548(MILITARY CALENDAR)

Kathleen was glad for and yet unnerved by the Spartan Program being made public. On one hand, thanks to public news articles and photos, she knew Fred, Will, Kelly, John, and Joshua were all still alive. It had also given her security that her soldiers didn't care about what she was. The only real reaction they'd had was an understanding of why they were called Orbital Drop Shock Spartans.

On the other hand, it meant they were losing the war. To her, it was a painfully obvious attempt to raise the spirits of soldiers who had watched as planets were glassed. If they'd had to risk the backlash of physically altering soldiers, then the UNSC spirits had really needed a lift. She was aware, though, that the full extent of the program was hidden from the public. The knowledge that six year old children had been kidnapped and the large loss of Spartans during the augmentations wouldn't have been received well. It would have only brought spirits down again and made it likely that people would resent the UNSC. That would only cause more people to become rebels and that was the opposite of what they were hoping for.

If someone looked past the hype, past the medals that seemed to be constantly getting pinned to the uniforms of Spartans, if they looked past it to the death numbers, the amount of ships destroyed, they would find that humans were losing the war. Super soldiers could give them victories on the ground, and they had, but with no way to win in space battles and fewer and fewer ships after each encounter, planets couldn't be saved from glassing.

She wondered if the Spartans were the reason why she was standing in the waiting area in the main base on Reach. She felt uncomfortable without her armor, as though she was walking around without her skin. Without the armor, she felt vulnerable, even as she stood alone in the room, knowing there was no threat.

She stood staring across the room into the mirror on the far side. It was there for those that wanted to double-check their looks before they'd see the committee, but that wasn't why Kathleen was staring at it. Her uniform was spotless, the metals brightly polished and perfectly organized on her chest. She was instead staring, trying to figure out if the reflection was actually her. She had never really been big on appearances, so she hadn't taken a real look at herself in a long time.

The blond hair that she'd once let grow long was cut short, giving her a tomboy look. The person who looked back at her looked like a statue unmoved by the world around her. She wasn't the girl that Kathleen remembered in her dreams nor did she seem like anything Kathleen had ever thought she'd be. The woman in the mirror was a leader, confident in what she knew and what she did. That wasn't at all how Kathleen felt. She still found it hard to believe that she'd been given her own team to control, and although she had managed to get used to giving orders, the title of leader still didn't feel like it fit her.

On top of all of that, the other Spartans were alive, meaning that the UNSC had lied and Saran had kept valuable information from ONI. Everything she thought she'd been sure of was shaken. The only thing she knew to be true now was her team and her duty.

The door slid open to her left and Saran came out. "They're all yours, Sarge." He walked past her. Kathleen watched him go before she took one last glance at the mirror. She looked calm and confident, on the outside at least.

She stepped through the door into the dark room, moving to the center of the room under the single spotlight that made it hard to see. She could make out the outline of figures but no real details.

A voice came from the darkness. "You are First Sergeant Kathleen one-one-three, correct?"

Kathleen couldn't place what figure had said it or who the voice belonged to. She supposed that it didn't really matter in the end. "That is correct."

The voice was cold and uninterested. "Are you familiar with this video recording?"

Kathleen recognized the image right away. It was the video from her own camera of her first encounter with an elite. "Yes, sir, I am familiar with it."

"What is your analysis of aliens? We do not yet have a name for them yet, so you can call it whatever you've been calling it." The second voice wasn't one that Kathleen recognized but it sounded as though it was from a rather old voice.

Kathleen returned their cold attitude. "We call these creatures split-lips, but recently we have started to call them elites as they are skilled soldiers and seem to be above the others. These elites are very strong, stronger than any average human. In my hand-to-hand combat with the elite its strength seemed to equal mine. It was the obvious head of the operations and of the ground troops that we faced. We have met very few of them in the battle field and they are always giving orders. While grunts and jackals are reluctant to follow each other's orders, both of these groups follow the orders of elites without a question as though they are above the others."

"And what of this creature?" The first voice brought up the more recent footage from Miridem, and the brute. "What can you tell us of this new creature?"

"I'm sorry to say not very much. We only saw it as we were being evacuated from the planet. It does seem to be a commander, though, of the lower troops. My team has been calling the creature bigfoot." Kathleen frowned, now regretting that they hadn't at least made another pass over the alien. "We did not face it in combat, so I do not know of its fighting skill."

A third voice spoke up and it was a bit familiar to Kathleen. "In many of your reports you have claimed to have observed a class system among the Covenant. Please explain what you've found and where all these species would be."

Kathleen clenched her fists. "Well, as I mentioned before, the grunts seem to take orders from the jackals but do not do so with any sort of pleasure. In the past we have seen veteran grunts taking orders from low ranking jackals, signifying that this is not their rank system but rather a class system. In order the grunts would be at the bottom with jackals just barely above them. Above both of them would be the elites, though whether the bigfoot is above or below the elites I cannot say."

"What other information would you need in order to tell where they are in this class system you are proposing?" The second voice seemed rather interested now in her theory.

Kathleen put her hands behind her back. They'd discussed this plenty among her team. "The information I would need is whether the hierarchy is based on strength or intelligence. If it is more strength, bigfoot has the obvious advantage. If it is intelligence, then the elites would have the upper hand and be above the bigfoot."

A fourth voice sounded skeptical. "How do you know this bigfoot is not smart?"

"The team that was with bigfoot was unorganized, didn't use cover to approach us, and didn't try to remain silent. Elites have proven to use strategy in our engagements." Kathleen had thought about this for a long time. It had come up when talking about if they would rather face the unorganized brutes or the skilled elites. It always came down to a question of speed of getting a job done, and how much fun they had fighting while doing that job.

"Very well then, let us move on." The first voice let out a low sigh, bored of the topic. "I am sure you are aware that the Spartan II program has been made public." Kathleen nodded and the voice continued. "The Spartans are still unaware of your team's existence; it needs to stay this way. Whenever the Spartans are on the ground you will stay out of their sight. To all other soldiers you are a Spartan working with an ODST group. It is up to you who would be acting leader of the rest of your soldiers in that situation."

There was a long silence before the voice spoke again. "That is all for now, you are dismissed."

Kathleen saluted and left without another word. She would never say it, but she was unhappy with their new orders. Staying out of sight of the Spartans was going to be hard. It would mean they would have to watch their backs all the time, or at least she would. The others could pretend to be normal ODST but she couldn't hide what she was.

It also meant she would have to promote one of her soldiers. She didn't like the idea of elevating one soldier over the others. She made a quick trip to the locker room, changing into more comfortable clothing and out of her dress uniform. She then returned to the barracks, not looking forward to informing her soldiers of their orders. As soon as she entered, the attention of her soldiers turned to her and they stopped whatever task they were doing.

Peter tilted his head to the side. "So what's the news?"

"ONI knows nothing about bigfoot." Kathleen let out a low sigh. "If we see normal soldiers, I'm a Spartan just working with this squad. If we see Spartans they can't see us, or at least me. If they see you, then you're a normal ODST squad and you have never met me. In either case…" She looked over the group deciding to make the promotion as a snap decision. Her instincts didn't usually fail her under pressure. "Tobias will be your leader. I'll put in the paperwork tomorrow for him to be promoted to Corporal."

"So let me get this straight. If we're around any other soldiers we have to act like you aren't part of our team. If Spartans find us, you have to vanish and we have to work with them." Tobias frowned, and Kathleen nodded. "That's bull."

"Welcome to the UNSC. Orders are crap, training's not worth shit, and you can't trust the intelligence as far as you can throw the satellites that produce it." Luke threw his arms out and fell back onto his cot.

Kathleen sat down on her cot, pulling out a box from under it. "Doesn't matter if they're bull, they're our orders, so can it." The soldiers went silently back to their tasks as Kathleen went to work sharpening her combat knife.

"Wait, shouldn't our lead soldier be a Sergeant?" Peter put down his rifle as he spoke. "I mean who the hell lets a Corporal lead a squad of soldiers?"

"I am not promoting him to a Sergeant. Corporal is far enough you can make up something if you have to. I'd prefer, though, that we just avoid them at all costs," Kathleen didn't look up from her activity. "Get creative."

"I think we can all agree with that. I mean if we were to have to follow them, then that would mean Sarge would have to take care of our mission on her own, and that just isn't right." David shook his head and frowned deeply.

"Got that damn right." Luke slammed his fist down on his knee. "Oh, we should come up with a code phrase for when there are Spartans around. Something like 'there are ninjas in the dojo'."

"We are not making a new code for this. Just saying there are Spartans around will do. We don't need to make things more complicated than they already are." Kathleen put away her knife and stood up. "Come on, time for our exercise. I know that all of you put it off and waited for me to join you. If you didn't, then I don't give a shit. I need to evaluate if you are failing or not."

"Yes, ma'am!" The soldiers all stood and quickly moved out of the barracks, toward the training yard where they would start their exercise plan.

Kathleen stood and paused for a moment, smiling slightly to herself, glad to see how quickly they followed her command. She followed behind them, ready to work them till they collapsed as she always did.


	11. Sigma Octanus IV

1700 HOURS, JULY 18, 2552(MILITARY CALENAR)

Kathleen checked her clock one more time, making sure that it was set properly. They only had an hour before the Spartans were to be deployed to the planet and they would have two things to worry about. After five years of fighting and working around the Spartans, Kathleen had gotten used to the time limits. Today their mission was just to go through a city, destroy the biggest and the baddest of the Covies, and make sure survivors were evacuated. It didn't seem too hard, but a one hour limit would make it a challenge. The pelican slowed as it neared the surface and landed. Kathleen stood doing one last check of her SMG before the back of the pelican opened and the marines moved into the dense forest. They didn't feel comfortable enough on the planet to stand out in the field with the pelican.

"Move to the evacuation point, Night Raven. If things get bad and the point has to change we'll radio you," Kathleen ordered the pilot.

" _Roger that, Sierra. Just make it to the evac point in time."_ The pilot hit a few switches and the pelican rose and moved off over the trees.

Kathleen was in no mood to waste any time. "Keep your eyes open kiddies, this rain's going to make our motion trackers useless and because of the trees we won't have any satellite feeds. I want groups of three, I'm taking point. We don't have time to dilly-dally. We're heading straight to the city."

"I always like it when we get straight to the point." Luke moved over to make a trio with Peter and Pat.

Kathleen ignored the comment, taking the lead. She could feel Emily and Edward behind her. They moved slowly through the jungle, being careful to be as quiet as they could. They wanted to surprise the enemy as best they could. The less prepared the Covenant was for them, the quicker they could get the job done.

It was the sound of a jackal that got Kathleen's attention. She flashed an orange light and the marines froze. Two grunts appeared, unaware of the danger. They seemed more engrossed in their conversation than the world around them. A single jackal moved up behind them, scolding the two grunts. Kathleen gave a few slow hand signals and her team moved into position. When all lights were green Kathleen flashed a red light. She sprung forward, her SMG slamming into the back of one of the grunt's heads. David mimicked her motion with the second grunt, caving in its head. Tobias swung his shotgun like a bat, nearly taking the jackal's head off its shoulders.

"Was that necessary?" Max looked down at the dead jackal. "What happened to this thing's arm?" He examined the jackal's crushed arm.

"Does it really matter? It's an alien that has probably slaughtered civilians. I don't care if it was necessary or how it got its arm messed up." Tobias wiped the alien's blood from his weapon.

"Why are the grunts already this far away from the city?" James shook his head, trying to throw off the odd feeling he had. "They should still be in the phase where they are still clearing out civilians."

"Best case scenario, the civilians got away. Worst case, they've already killed everyone or the people got away and now are being hunted by the Covenant. Hunting seems unlikely though. It would be a waste of time as they'd eventually just kill them by glassing the whole place." Kathleen looked away from her soldiers. "For this mission their behavior doesn't matter. We're only here to kill and make it easier for the Spartans. There's no time to be standing around. Get your asses in gear."

They only met up with two more patrols before they reached the edge of the city. Several of the buildings showed signs of some sort of explosives being used.

"Those don't look like they're from frag grenades." Emily moved over and ran a finger over the mark, looking at the dust that was left on her fingertips.

"Looks more like monkey nades." Matthew gripped his gun a bit tighter. The ODSS had had a few run-ins with the creatures known as brutes. They'd found out about the unique grenades the barbaric creatures used. Kathleen would take spike grenades over the incendiary grenades the stealth brutes used, or the flash grenades that made seeing impossible.

"All right, from here we're splitting up." Kathleen stopped them and brought up a quick team roster splitting the teams up into two lists and sending them to the soldiers. "Two groups; Blue Team's Edward, Emily, Max, Luke, James, and myself. Red Team's Tym, David, Pat, Peter, Matthew, with Tobias leading. Blue Team will check down by the wharf, Red Team, you head to the business district. Report anything unusual or any of the really big baddies. VISRs on and move out."

The teams split up, moving through the shadows. They checked each building as they went. They checked the short few story building by exploration and the larger buildings with thermal imagery. The VISR systems had been recently updated. The world around them was now properly outlined making travel easier. They found nothing, though, and things were starting to look bleak.

Kathleen stood staring at a particular building that was unsettling to her. At one point it had been a convenience store. The front windows had been smashed in like a tank had run through them. The problem is it didn't look like it had been done with a wraith. The store was also filled with foot prints that were either from a new species of brutes or possibly from a hunter, though something seemed different about them. One of the humans inside looked like they'd been burned in half. The other had been crushed under the large foot before the living tank broke through the back wall. She could only hope that they wouldn't have to meet whatever it was, though she knew it was their duty to kill it before the Spartans arrived. If she had to guess, she would have guessed it was a hunter, but she'd never seen one do so much damage or crash through a wall as easily as it looked like this one did.

"So from what I can tell we've got grunts and jackals, not really our problem, maybe some brutes, and from that shop a hunter with no self-control and on steroids." Luke looked down at his SMG. "Oddly, I feel under-armed."

"That's why you've got me, and this baby." James patted the beta form of the Spartan laser that he hefted onto his shoulder.

"It's like they foresaw us coming across a walking tank that could crush us all like little ants." Max seemed a bit too cheerful.

Kathleen glared at her soldiers. "Stop calling it a tank, all evidence points to a hunter. It being excessively violent doesn't change what it is."

Emily looked down at a dead body. "Whatever it is it doesn't seem to care about what's under its foot."

"What makes you say that?" Luke looked over at Emily.

"I noticed it on the first jackal we saw. Max pointed it out and at the time I'd thought it had just been a war wound. The first jackal looked like one of its arms had been crushed and quickly healed. But this one, this one you could match a boot with." Emily pointed at the jackal's chest. Something large had left a foot print in the alien just as had happened with the humans in the shop.

"Whatever's made this hunter so violent and powerful has made it extra dangerous." Kathleen decided to warn the rest of her squad. Kathleen opened a channel with Red team. "Red leader, this is Blue leader."

" _Blue leader, this is Red leader. You have perfect timing, ma'am."_ Tobias seemed rather pleased.

"Report what you've found, Red leader." Kathleen moved to the center of the room so that she would have her soldiers watching all her sides.

" _No survivors, but we've got plenty of patrols. Seems to be a concentration at the museum, but I can't really tell why. Plenty of the little guys, a good number of jackles. There are these sort of pink blobs floating around, taking things apart and putting them back together. They seem to be Covenant equivalent of nerds, or something. They don't really fight, so there's no reason to kill them. They didn't even are that we were here._ " Tobias seemed rather happy with that news.

"Noted Red leader, is that all to report?" Kathleen glanced over her shoulder as she thought she heard something, but chalked it up to the wind.

" _One more thing to report, Blue leader. Peter went up high to scout ahead. Said he saw something really big with spikes on its back heading your direction. Said it was odd, though, because the armor was an unusual color_." Tobias' smile was evident in his voice. " _I'll give you three guesses as to what it is._ "

"Hunters. All right, Red leader. Keep your eyes open for the big ones. From the handiwork here we guess it must be them. They seem to be having an extra bad day, so avoid them." Kathleen glanced over at James, suddenly very glad that he had the Spartan laser.

" _Understood Blue leader, Red leader out_." Tobias closed the channel.

Edward looked up from the dead jackal. "What have the others found?"

"Seems Peter spotted what might be our walking tank. Seems it's a new rank of hunter, and it's heading our way, so be ready. If you find any pink floating aliens don't kill them. They aren't hostile and are more of a waste of ammunition. Save it for the actual threats." Kathleen looked around and saw all her soldiers nod. "Let's get moving. If there are survivors they won't be surviving much longer if the hunter finds them." The others nodded again and they moved out back to work.

They hadn't made it half a block before the big baddies appeared. What wasn't expected was that there were two of them. Their deep gold armor was like nothing that they'd seen before. At first they didn't even notice the soldiers. They stood in the road looking around as though waiting. That was until a silver-armored elite appeared. It had no problem spotting the marines. With a loud shout and a point the hunters had their target. Their large shields moved into position as they charged their weapons.

James was ahead of them and at the ready. A crimson red laser shot along the road, hitting the left hunter and blasting through it. The second hunter got off its shot. The green ball hit James, melting away the Spartan laser and taking his arm with it. The hunter that was left roared in sorrow and anger while Peter and Max dragged James to cover.

"Draw their fire away from the others." Kathleen moved along with Emily and Edward. The three opened fire, causing the elite to take cover behind the hunter and its shield.

"I thought you elites could fight." Emily taunted the alien, easily dodging the hunter's next shot. She opened fire on the bit of orange that she could see. Kathleen moved up on the opposite side while Emily had the hunter's attention. With her SMG rounds and the rounds that Kathleen sent through from the other side, the hunter collapsed as a corpse on the ground. The elite opened fire, hitting Kathleen in the side and arm. The elite turned just in time to see Edward, who slammed the barrel of his M6C into the alien's mouth and squeezed the trigger. Purple blood sprayed forth and the elite fell to the ground, dead.

Kathleen fell to one knee to catch her breath. The plasma had burned through her armor. Emily moved over to her side. "You alright Sarge?"

"I'm fine, just a small burn." Kathleen forced herself to work past the pain. "Max, what's James's status?" She moved back toward the rest of her team.

" _Serious, the whole arm's gone. If we don't' get him attention soon, it could become very fatal_." Max's voice was unsteady as he worked.

"Luke, Max, take James to the evac point. The Spartans will be here any time and we have to get those ships checked. Emily, Edward, and I will take care of the ships." Kathleen looked over her soldiers who nodded.

Luke grabbed James and the trio moved off. " _Blue leader, we have a problem_." Tobias sounded nervous to her. The slightly quieter tone either meant they were in danger or he had found something really bad.

"What's your problem?" Kathleen tensed, ready to hear the worst.

" _We got rid of the brutes but, we've spotted Spartans_." Tobias paused for a moment before continuing. " _They didn't see us, ma'am, but they are moving through the city_."

"Spartans are in the city already?" Kathleen froze, unsure of what to do. They were ahead of the time line they had calculated.

" _They're big seven foot tall soldiers in MJOLNIR armor, yeah they are here_." Tobias' tone would be insulting to anyone else, but Kathleen let it go.

"Red leader, have Red Team head to the evac point. We'll meet you there." Kathleen slipped a new clip into her weapon.

" _Understood Blue leader, Red leader out_." Tobias cut off the channel to do as ordered.

"How did the Spartans get here so fast?" Emily glanced around the streets as though they would arrive at any minute.

"Doesn't matter, we'll split up to check the ships." Kathleen moved off toward the wharf. They checked over every ship on the wharf.

" _I've got survivors_." Edward radioed after checking a few ships.

"Did you make contact with them?" Kathleen walked out of the ship she had finished checking.

" _No, spotted their heat signal. They didn't see me."_ Edward moved away from the ship carefully so he wouldn't be heard.

"All right, mark which one it is." Kathleen waited and once the ship was indicated on her own map she continued. "Both of you head to the evac point."

"What about the survivors?" Emily's reluctance to leave the people while they were in danger was obvious in her words.

"For once, the Spartans are going to do the work for us. I'm going to set a trail to lead them to the ship." Kathleen put her weapon up on her back.

"That's an awful big risk of them seeing you. Why not have one of us do it?" Edward made his way down the wharf and met up with Emily, who was waiting for him.

"Because I won't be caught and I know what would catch their attention. Now get to that evac point." Kathleen watched as the two reluctantly nodded.

"Yes, ma'am." The marines then turned and sprinted off through the city to meet up with the other soldiers and the pelican.

Kathleen moved along the wharf until she found the Spartans. The problem with their tactics was that any other Spartan could easily spy on them. She looked across the street from her hiding spot, confident that they couldn't see her. She was purposefully hiding from Spartans while they were on the alert for Covenant. She recognized their leader right away. There was no mistake that it was Joshua. This would make it all the easier.

Kathleen started to set her trail with a set of deep tracks in the mud that would be an obvious sign to any Spartan as they were out of place. She then grabbed the torn-up ODST flag that Max had been using to try to cut off the blood flow from James' severed arm. She attached the flag to a pole out on the dock leading to the cargo ships. She then used her combat knife to reopen the wound on her side, using the blood to draw a quick star that appeared to be made of five swords. She then jumped into the water to be sure she would leave no trail as she headed to the evac point.

Joshua halted his team. He moved along the side of the building to what had his attention. There in the mud was the deep imprint of a Spartan's armored foot. The Spartans hadn't been there yet, though, so there was no reason for why there should be a Spartan print there. It also seemed to be deliberate. It was not on the path a Spartan would take for stealth, fighting, or even wandering. It was also much too deep, like the maker had stomped into the ground to make it.

Red Two moved up behind Joshua. "What is it, Red leader?"

"Someone's left us a marking. Keep an eye open for anything out of the ordinary." Joshua started to look around for any other signs.

"Like an out of place flag?" Red Three moved up to the others. "There's an ODST flag down by the docks. Doesn't seem like that's the right place for it."

"Were ODST deployed to this planet?" Joshua hadn't been informed of any such actions. If they were they should have met up with some, but they hadn't found anyone, only the odd pink aliens that nearly got them in trouble.

"Not that has been reported." Red Two checked over the troop list again.

"Move cautiously." Joshua crouched low and the team moved toward the docks. "Red Three, check for any more signs."

Red Three moved forward the scope of his sniper rifle making it much easier to see along the dock without moving into the open. "I've got a mermaid on one ship, nothing really special, a sprayed-on seagull of a shipping company on another. There's one more marking, but I don't recognize it. It's a star but it looks weird. Looks like it's drawn in blood." Red Three lowered the sniper rifle.

"Let me get a look." Joshua took the sniper rifle and examined the image. "We've found our target. Red Four, you're with me. Red Two, Three, cover us." Joshua moved out to the dock. It wasn't hard to find the civilians inside. It was a bit harder to get them off the planet, but in Spartan fashion they managed it.

Even once he'd gotten back to the ship above as the planet below was glassed, one thought plagued his mind. The only though in Joshua's head was the eagle drawn in blood. It all pointed to something that wasn't possible. Once they'd returned to the ship Joshua made sure Will and Fred hung behind with him.

"What's this about?" Fred looked around to be sure they were actually alone and no Spartans were close enough to hear.

"It's about something down on the planet." Joshua looked around as well.

"There's nothing down there, only a glassed planet." Will crossed his arms over his chest.

"It was there before the planet was glassed, it led me to the civilians." Joshua gave him a cold look. "It was something impossible."

"All right, what is it that you saw on the planet?" Fred frowned. The longer it took the more likely others would interrupt.

"I saw our symbol. Did either of you teach it to anyone?" Joshua looked over the two other Spartans.

"You mean the Spartan signal?" Fred was referring to the six-note song that Spartans used to signal that everything was clear.

"No, our Symbol, our sword star. The one we used back in training." Joshua fidgeted slightly and looked around again. "It was drawn in blood on the ship the civilians were in."

"Are you sure it was our star? I haven't told anyone about that. We haven't even used that since back when we were in training." Fred's frown deepened.

"I am sure. There was even the boot print of a Spartan in an area we hadn't gone to yet. The odd thing was whoever it was used an ODST flag to mark the dock." Joshua shook his head, frowning.

"If it were a Spartan they'd use a UNSC flag. No one who knows our symbol would use an ODST flag." Will looked away from the others. He seemed unsettled by the news.

Have you told anyone about this?" Fred glanced over his shoulder, uneasy.

Joshua shook his head. "Red Team saw it, but you are the only ones I've talked to about it."

"Keep it that way. If you start saying dead Spartans are giving you signals people will think you're insane." Fred took a step toward him to be sure he knew how serious he was.

"Maybe ONI is just keeping something from us." Will shrugged, glancing back at the other two Spartans.

"Why would they keep anything from us?" Joshua frowned and Will could only shrug in reply.

"Now is not the time to be questioning if we can or can't trust ONI. We need to stay focused. Sheila and Kathleen are dead, what you saw will stay between us, and we'll focus on beating the Covenant." Fred took a step back and turned as he heard a noise. He spotted the female Spartan as she stood in the door way.

"Why are you all in here?" Kelly cocked her head into the side quizzically.

"We were just chatting." Fred paused for only a fraction of a second. "We were sharing what we saw on the planet."

"Well com one, Master Chief wants a full report from all of us." Kelly left the room and the three followed her to join the other Spartans.


	12. The calm

0800 HOURS, AUGUST 26, 2552(MILITARY CALENDAR)

There was a different feeling in the air on Reach. Ships were gathering in the sky above, retreating back from the outer colonies to be moved to protect the inner colonies. Because of this, there were a large amount of ground forces on the planet. All of these surplus soldiers seemed to be waiting around with no real purpose. On top all that, more gear was being shipped to Reach and sent up to the ships. The UNSC was gearing up for a fight, and you could almost taste it in the air. She wondered how many of the soldiers would be sent off on the ships and never even reach the land combat before a Covenant ship blasted them to bits. Some soldiers were nervous while some were eager for the fight ahead. The ODSS were among the eager crowd. Eager wasn't always a good thing, though. The ODSS had too much verve and had turned to fighting each other to let off some of the energy. Kathleen sat, watching as Peter and Luke fought over something, but she didn't really know what. Knowing the two of them, it was likely something stupid and trivial.

"Are you going to stop them?" Matthew watched the two men, trying to decide which one he would put his money on if they were betting.

"No, let them blow off some steam." Kathleen stood up. "Be sure they just don't kill each other. I don't want to have to train replacements. Don't even think I could find soldiers good enough to replace them."

"Where are you going?" Pat turned his attention away from the fight to look at his Sergeant. "You going AWOL on us?"

"I'm going to see if I can find out why they took our armor." Kathleen turned and left the room. The marines returned to watching the two soldiers trying to beat each other silly.

The door opened at the other end of the gym and David cursed. "That sure as hell isn't the Sarge." He glanced over at the figures that had entered.

"Well, that's going to cause a problem." Emily watched the two soldiers walk toward them. Both Emily and David turned back to watching the fight, trying to ignore the Spartans as they neared.

Fred stood behind the marines who were watching the brawl. He didn't know why they were fighting, but the fight had gotten his attention. The skill and power-driven style of the fighting reminded him of his own fighting style, of the fighting style that the Spartans were taught. Luke had blood dripping from his nose already, but Peter was already guaranteed a black eye the next day.

"Who the hell punches a sniper in the eye? That's just bad future planning." Emily sighed, about ready to break up the fight.

"I don't think that the future matters much in this fight. Besides, Peter uses his right eye." David leaned back and put his hands behind his head.

The Spartans' presence was really starting to get to Tobias. He knew it wasn't directly their fault, but he blamed the Spartans for making the missions of the ODSS harder. The marines had to work around the actions of the super soldiers, and Kathleen was always looking over her shoulder for them. He couldn't figure out why the pair of Spartans were watching the fight. It didn't take long to annoy him too much and he snapped. He turned to look at Fred. "Is there something you want, giant squid?"

"Don't start a fight. Sarge will kill you if you do." Tym frowned as his attention shifted to the Spartans. Luke and Peter stopped fighting, focusing more on the spectators who, like the rest of the ODSS, they didn't like.

"Where did you learn that fighting style?" Fred directed the question to Luke and Peter, who glared at him.

"Our Sergeant taught it to us." Luke crossed his arms, reluctant to answer his questions. "She taught us everything we know."

Fred turned his full attention to Luke. "What's your Sergeant's name?"

The ODSS froze, unsure of how to answer. They couldn't give him the name Kathleen as he might recognize it, and she lacked a last name. "Maria, Maria Saran. First Sergeant Maria Saran." Tobias only vaguely remembered the name of the AI that they'd worked with during training.

"That was all I wanted to know." Fred relaxed a bit, looking over the soldiers. He had an odd feeling about the troops, and it was strangely unsettling.

Tym stopped them before they could leave. "Wait, who the hell are you, anyway?"

Fred was quiet, deciding if he should or shouldn't answer. "I am Petty Officer Spartan-104." He then motioned to Will beside him. "This is Petty Officer Spartan-043."

"You know, if you're so interested in our fighting technique, then I could show it to you. These two aren't really interested in proper technique." Tobias glared at Tym as the other soldier elbowed him in the side.

Fred paused, unsure of what to do. He didn't really want to fight the soldier and risk injuring him, but he didn't have a good reason to back down. "I don't think that would be a good idea. We need to get back to our ship to prepare for our next mission." Fred motioned to Will and the two left.

"Pansies." Tobias turned back to find Tym glaring at him. "What?" He raised his shoulders, still annoyed.

"What did I say about picking a fight?" Tym hit him in the shoulder. "You do realize they were Spartans. Sarge always went easy on us because she'd kill us otherwise. He wouldn't have held back."

"Good, I wouldn't want him too." Tobias rubbed his arm where he had been hit and looked away from the other man. "We're just as good as them, and I want to prove it. The UNSC puts so much value in their Spartans. Let them see that an ODSS can beat one."

"You and I both know you wouldn't win. Hell, in the best case scenario, you'd be put in the infirmary. You'd only succeed in proving you're a fool, that you aren't as strong as a Spartan, and the Sergeant would kill you." Tym took a deep breath. "You should have just been glad he brought your lie about the Sarge."

"That was pretty quick thinking. I was drawing a blank as to what we could tell them. Probably should have thought of that ahead of time." David smiled.

"Yeah, I'm just a bit worried though." Emily frowned and looked over at Edward beside her then back to Tym and Tobias. "If those Spartans do a data search for the name it could end badly for us."

"Why'd you ask their names anyway? What good does rank and number do for us?" Luke took a seat and wiped the blood from his face.

"The Sergeant knows them. If she knows the numbers, maybe she'll be able to tell how serious their presence is." Tym took a moment to memorize the numbers they'd told him.

"The fact that any Spartans are here tells me this is Serious." Peter sat down as far away from Luke as possible. "We cool?"

"Yeah, we're cool. There are more important issues now, anyway. The question is just which issue is the most important." Luke moved over to his own seat on the other side of Edward.

Kathleen was completely unaware of the encounter with the Spartans. She was instead focused on the new armor in front of her. They'd said it was Mark V armor, the latest in the MJOLNIR armor series, what they had always wanted it to be. She had to admit that it looked a bit like the old armor, but bulkier.

"So what's so special about it?" Kathleen stared at the reflective visor as though that alone could make her understand it.

"Well, for starters, it has a full body personal energy shield." One of the techs busily worked on a component. "Second, it allows you to directly connect with an AI. It's why we had to update your neural interface. Your HUD will also now show you the strength of your shield, how much ammunition you have, and allow you to better monitor your squad's health."

"They will all be helpful features in our future missions." Maria appeared on a holotank to Kathleen's left. The AI's unusually pure white color was tinted gray and she held a sword and shield, something she'd never seen the AI do before.

"What do you mean 'our future missions?" Kathleen frowned as she turned to look at the AI.

"I'll be accompanying you and the ODSS on future missions. You'll find that I can be of a great deal of help." Maria bowed slightly to Kathleen.

Kathleen nodded, satisfied. "Has the armor been tested yet or am I going to be testing it in action?"

"A Spartan has tested it in a live fire simulation. It passed perfectly." Maria sounded pleased with the outcome of the test.

"Which Spartan tested it?" Kathleen crossed her arms. It didn't really matter which one, but it would give her at least the knowledge of one more living Spartan. She didn't even know why it mattered to her that any of them were alive. She wasn't one of them anymore. The only lives that mattered to her now were her ODSS.

Maria paused before she answered. "Spartan-117. He and the AI Cortana completed the course exceptionally. I cannot wait for us to get into that armor and see what it can really do." Kathleen searched her memory trying to remember which Spartan was 117. She knew he had been their squad leader but the name escaped her.

"When do we get to use it?" She looked to the armor. "And can the color be changed?" She knew that it was the standard color for Spartans, but it felt wrong to her.

"Well, the suit will be ready for you by the end of the day. As for color, what did you have in mind?" The technician tossed his wire cutters over to a side table.

"I would like it to be black." Kathleen nodded. Yes, black felt right. ODST wore black battle suits; it was the color for her.

"I'll see what I can do about the color." The tech moved around the armor as he worked here and there on the armor.

"Relax for now, First Sergeant. I'll contact you when the suit's ready." Maria paused as lines of code flowed over her body.

Kathleen nodded, taking one last look at the armor before leaving the lab. She let her mind wander as she returned to her team's barracks. She tried to remember 117's name and was pretty sure she'd narrowed it down to ether John or James. She recognized Spartans by looks, movements, and name, not number. She wondered if she could get the UNSC to let her soldiers use the old Mark IV armor, but dismissed it. She didn't want to risk them being injured because their reflexes weren't able to handle the armor.

She reached the barrack of her troops and was confused by what she saw. The soldiers that had been energetic earlier were sitting quietly on their cots. "What happened?" She did a quick head count to make sure that one of them wasn't missing.

"We met some Spartans." Tobias looked down toward the ground. "Two of them, 43 and 104. They appeared shortly after you left."

Kathleen didn't have to try to recognize the numbers. She knew them by heart. 117, Fred, and Will must all be on the planet. There was a new version of the armor, Spartans on the planet, and an odd feeling in the air. Something was up, she just didn't know what. "Then why do you all look like you're about to be forced to become regular marines?"

"Well, one of them sort of asked us about who our Sergeant was. We'd kind of already used the pronoun 'she' so we couldn't tell them it was the gunnery." Tobias swayed a bit as he spoke.

"Then who'd you say it was?" Kathleen frowned, her mind searching all possible scenarios and how best to handle each scenario.

"First Sergeant Maria Saran." David sat up from his cot. "Then we realized the Spartans would look it up. Emily and I then went looking for you."

Emily crossed her arms over her chest. "I stumbled upon several Spartans that were moving supplies to a pelican. Heavy duty supplies like metal plates and explosives."

Kathleen paused, digesting the information. "What the Spartans do with those supplies is no worry of ours. It's their mission and if we haven't been briefed then it's not ours." She moved over to the communications panel near the door. She quickly opened a channel to the lab.

"I told you I'd call you when your armor was ready." Maria sounded a bit annoyed.

"I'm not calling about the armor. I need you to make up a soldier for me." Kathleen waited for a reply.

"Tell me what you want exactly and I'll make it." Maria's voice had gone from annoyed to helpful.

"Name: Maria Saran with the rank First Sergeant. Give her a good background fighting rebels and Covies. Mark her as the former leader of this squad but having died not long ago during a Covenant ground engagement." That would fix the reason as to why the Sergeant wasn't working with the team any more but still give a reasonable profile as to why the soldiers were skilled. Kathleen nodded her head. "Good, that should take care of that."

"Soldier created, now I must return to preparing your armor. I will contact you when it is ready." Maria then cut the channel.

There was a second of silence. Peter perked up. "What armor was she talking about?"

~Pillar of Autumn~

Fred read over the information for the fourth time. Once they'd gotten back to the _Pillar of Autumn_ , John had assigned a group to work on preparing the Pelican. Fred had not been assigned to the group, so he had time to kill. Rather than just sit around, he'd decided to look up the Sergeant that the soldiers had mentioned earlier. What he'd found was not exactly settling. He found a Sergeant with a nearly spotless record dating back to before the Human-Covenant war to fighting rebels. A squad of twelve soldiers and not a single one lost except the Sergeant herself on a recent mission. The odds of that were nearly impossible. It took him a moment to notice Will standing in front of him." Is there something wrong?"

"I'm the one that should be asking that to you." Will nodded his head toward the knife that Fred was holding loosely. He had been working with it to get used to the new armor, but it had been forgotten.

"I looked up the Sergeant that those soldiers mentioned." Fred flipped the knife into his hand and put it away. "The record is just too clean. Only ever lead one team, never lost a solder, fought rebels and Covenant, lasted this far into the war and only recently died in combat. It's all just too perfect."

"Sounds almost like a Spartan's record, except for the dying part." Will frowned, though it couldn't be seen behind his helmet. "Then what is it? A fake solider?"

Fred thought the idea over. "Possible, but why would they not be able to tell us the truth?"

"Put it from your mind. There are more pressing matters, like the Covenant ship we are going to board." Will put out his hand and Fred took it to stand.

"You're right, it's not important." Fred pushed aside his unease. No matter how much the soldiers and their seemingly made up Sergeant confused him, they had nothing to do with his current mission, and he couldn't risk being distracted. "Come on, we'll see if John has anything we can do." Will nodded, hoping his friend would put the thoughts out of his mind for good.


	13. Exercise

Kathleen crouched in the forest of Reach, staring out at the enemy camp. It wasn't anything special, but Kathleen knew looks could be deceiving. It consisted of a large open field between the forest and the camp. Several structures—barracks, mess hall, and weapons locker—were placed here and there in the clearing. There were armed guards and vehicles moving around from place to place.

"It doesn't look like this will be too hard." Kathleen turned to see the source of the voice. Joshua was crouched to her side, peering out at the camp.

"It will only be hard if they've injured Sheila in any way. That would slow us down." Will's voice could be heard but he was hidden from sight.

"The chief never said they wouldn't hurt her." Kathleen wasn't really sure where the words had come from. She looked over to her right where a thirteen-year-old Fred was crouched beside her. "We'll just have to plan for her being injured to stay on the safe side."

Kathleen turned back to the camp to try to figure out the best way in, but was caught off guard at what she saw. The camp she'd first seen was gone. In its place was a heavily fortified camp. A tall metal fence with barbed wire surrounded it, armed guards stood at the ready at the only entrance, and patrols of soldiers with dogs made regular rounds.

"So what's the plan?" It was a completely different voice and Kathleen turned to see Tobias kneeling beside her. Something was different though, he looked younger, less like he'd seen the hell of war.

"Those dogs are going to be a problem." Emily lay under a bush looking out at the camp. "We may be in luck though, while on recon earlier I heard one of the patrols complaining about them. Said they weren't properly trained."

"How could they not be properly trained? This is one of the Sergeant's exercises. He always gets the best to test us." Tobias kept his eyes on the base, tracking a pair of figures that passed along the fence.

"Well, all the best dogs are taking care of the insurrections in the outer colonies. That means that they got second best this time." A smile was evident in the taunting tone of Emily's voice. "They seem to only be using them to find any sort of movement. That can work to our advantage."

"Yeah, but it means that the soldiers will be agitated with not getting the best, making them all the more willing to be violent. Have Luke and Peter returned?" Kathleen frowned as her mind tried to remember why they were attacking the base.

"Who are Luke and Peter?" Will moved out of the shadows and looked at her confused. "Are you all right? You up for this mission?"

"They're no one, and I'm fine." Kathleen cursed what was going on. One minute she was with the Spartans, then the next the ODSS, and she couldn't tell when it was shifting.

"Are you sure about that? I need you to not be distracted from this, Kat." Fred placed a hand on her shoulder.

Kathleen hit him in the arm. "Don't call me that, and I'm fine." She turned to look at Emily who was looking at her, head tilted to the side and a worried look on her face. "Just stay focused."

"I am focused. You stay focused, and have some respect for your squad leader," Fred shot back casually, causing Kathleen to turn back to him. "All right then, let's move."

He ran through the forest. Kathleen followed, dodging easily and silently through the forest brush. Her perspective switched between the Spartans and the ODSS a few times before they stopped at the edge of the forest, staying hidden until the patrol moved out of sight. As soon as Fred took off, Kathleen followed. They cleared the area in a matter of seconds, stopping, backs pressed against the concrete wall of one of the structures.

Kathleen looked back to be sure everyone made it, seeing that Luke and Peter were right behind her. She looked forward again to see Emily and Tobias in front of her. Tobias was glancing around the corner.

"Almost got it open." Kathleen turned back to see Joshua working on the lock of the door.

She turned back forward again as Tobias spoke. "Dogs are almost here."

"All right, get ready to release the rabbit." Kathleen looked over her shoulder as a hand touched it.

"Kathleen, there is no rabbit in this plan." Fred looked at her, concerned. "What are you talking about?"

"Just get back to work." Kathleen didn't realize that she wasn't in charge of both missions. She'd grown too familiar with being the lead.

"Kathleen, this is my mission. I don't take orders from you." Fred frowned at her. "What is going on with you? Stay focused on the here and now."

"If only it were that easy." Kathleen turned to look ahead and saw Emily move forward, clutching the struggling sack tight to her. She moved into position and opened the bag. The hare jumped out of it, taking off across the path.

As they had hoped, the dogs were distracted by the movement of the prey. The canines led their handlers over to the area, leaving their backs turned to Kathleen's team. They were easily taken down. The trainees took the guns and stun round ammunition from the fallen soldiers and moved the bodies somewhere they wouldn't be found.

"All right, split up." Kathleen moved across the path to the building they knew held their target. She knew that Luke and Peter would follow as the plan told them to. It was Emily and Tobias's jobs to make a distraction and find a ride for them.

Kathleen stopped at one side of the entrance to the building. She threw open the door and charged in, but her gun was gone. She tackled the closest instructor, grabbing the man's wrist that held his gun. She twisted, almost breaking bone, and he released the weapon, allowing Kathleen to take it. She turned, firing twice, and taking down the second instructor. She turned again to see that Will had already knocked out the third. The first instructor got up grabbing for Kathleen, but Will moved in the way. The instructor grabbed him and Kathleen moved, firing three times, and the instructor fell.

"Thanks for having my back." Kathleen did a quick sweep of the room to be sure that they had gotten everyone.

"Thanks for having mine. What was that all about anyway? That wasn't the plan." Will grabbed a gun and ammunition from one of the fallen instructors. The rounds wouldn't kill them but they wouldn't be able to move.

"I just got a bit overexcited; it's not a big deal." Kathleen walked over to Sheila to check on her. She found herself standing on Miridem staring down at the charred armor and dead eyes of her fallen friend. She felt somehow empty inside as she looked down at the corpse. A horn honked and Kathleen turned, aiming her rifle at the door.

"Must be Tobias with our ride," Luke chuckled. "Only he would make that much noise constantly while he was trying not to attract too much attention."

"Grab it and let's go." Kathleen moved to the doorway in time to see a warthog skid to a stop before them.

"Someone call for a ride?" Tobias flashed a goofy grin. Luke and Peter moved into the back of the vehicle with Emily securing the device. Kathleen took shotgun and the warthog peeled out. They bounced over the bumps, nearly running over soldiers as they went. The enemies opened fire and Luke, Emily, and Peter were forced to take cover. The guards at the entrance dove out of the way to avoid being hit. Peter popped up just long enough to take a few shots, taking out a couple of the soldiers that were firing at them. The warthog sped off into the night.

They stopped after about fifteen minutes of driving. "All right, Emily, make a false trail heading north. Luke, Peter, grab the fake-nuke. Tobias, you take rear guard and I'll lead the way. Emily, you've got forty-five minutes to make the trail and meet up with us. Everyone meet at point beta."

"Yes, ma'am," the soldiers said in unison. Emily moved off to the north while Luke and Peter grabbed the fake-nuke. Kathleen turned east to lead the way. She spotted Fred moving into the forest and followed after him.

"You guys took your sweet time." Sheila rubbed her wrists where she'd been tied up not too long ago.

"We got you out alive, didn't we?" Joshua slapped the female Spartan on the back. "Lighten up and be glad for a successful mission."

"Easy for you to say, you weren't tied up." Sheila struck the male Spartan on the back, but harder, causing him to wince.

"We aren't out of the woods yet, literally." Will's eyes constantly scanned the forest for any threats that might be around.

"We're never safe until we've gotten back to base." Kathleen turned her attention back to Fred only to find him gone. She looked up to the sky and checked the stars to be sure they were still heading east.

"No kidding, the Gunny could have a special operation squad out here for all we know." Luke shifted a bit to make carrying the fake-nuke easier.

"Yeah, you remember that old mission. When the chief had those un-uniformed instructors guarding the pelican. For all we know this could be a situation like that." It was Will's voice and Kathleen looked at him, confused.

"Oh, come on Kat, you remember that mission," Fred said, but he wasn't there when she looked for him. She stopped, trying to get her bearings.

"You all right, ma'am? You look confused." Peter frowned, concerned and nervous over her behavior. He'd never seen her act odd like this.

"Yeah, something weird is going on." She shook her head. She leaned back and her back met a wall. A plasma bold shot over head and she knelt behind a crumbled wall she was using for cover. The barks of grunts filled the air as they fired wildly.

And ODSS moved up beside her, armor partially scorched. "Sergeant," the soldier called, but it wasn't any of her soldiers. The voice was Maria's.

Kathleen's eyes opened and she stared up at the ceiling. She had been dreaming, it was all a dream. She sat up looking over to the communications terminal. "What is it, Maria?"

"Your armor is ready. You are to be suited up immediately." Maria sounded rather uneasy. Her words were hurried.

"Understood, I'll be there shortly." Kathleen glanced around at her soldiers. She could tell that several of them were awake. "Go back to sleep." She quickly made her way out of the room.

"How can I? I want to see the damn armor," James muttered, causing a few of the soldiers to chuckle.


	14. Retrieval

0900 HOURS, JULY 25, 2552(MILITARY CALENDAR)

Reach was always a busy place, particularly on the military bases, but today it was extra busy. The day before it had been discovered that the Covenant were on Reach, and in numbers that couldn't simply be knocked down with a quick strike. There were cruisers in the sky, but not in such numbers that indicated a full-scale invasion had started. The UNSC had a chance to strike back, to kick the Covenant off the planet before they could really do much of anything. It wasn't often they got this chance, and the UNSC was taking full advantage of it.

Kathleen shifted uncomfortably in her new armor. The plates were a bit more bulky than the old Mark IV armor, and much more responsive to her actions. Still, it had taken her less than a minute to adjust to the difference. The armor had originally been an olive green when they'd shown it to her but she had it painted black the moment she could. It was bad enough she had to wear this stuff, at the very least she be the same color. The oddest part of her new Mark V armor however, was the other occupant of the suit: "Maria". The AI wasn't exactly in her head, but it felt close enough; in fact almost too close at times for Kathleen's liking. Maria seemed to be able to read Kathleen's thoughts, which was a bit disturbing. The AI also had almost complete access to the UNSC's entire database. Kathleen was happy to find that her team's ODST armor had been upgraded as well with a lower-grade energy shield than hers. She had been surprised that they'd gotten energy shields at all. When it came to new equipment it seemed like her soldiers were always passed over, something that had always aggravated Kathleen, but she hoped this was a sign that they would get the respect and recognition they deserved.

Right now the ODSS were sitting in the back of a pelican, heading toward a research facility that was currently being purged. They had just learned that a group of Covenant were heading toward the facility; they needed to secure it, and make sure that the Covenant didn't get any data. It wasn't all that unfamiliar of a mission, it was one of the things that always had to happen when the Covenant invaded. The thing was though, the ODSS were usually only sent in when the building needed to be blown up, not to actually defend while it was being purged. And what was even more annoying was that they were also supposed to escort a particular scientist, and bring him to another facility. Kathleen hated escort missions.

"Maria, any update on the base?" Kathleen didn't like asking the question, mainly because the AI would respond - that was the part she hated the most. The AI's voice wasn't just in her helmet's speakers, but seemed to be in her head as well. It unnerved Kathleen and made her skin crawl.

"The Covenant beat us to the facility, but we will be there in a minute and a half, Sergeant." The AI paused for a moment, "My sensors are also indicating that you seem to be having an adverse reaction to my speech."

"Yeah, I don't really like anyone's voice in my head beside my own," Kathleen admitted. She turned her COMMs to the team channel. "All right, listen up. We're heading to the facility to assist with the purge and evacuate Professor Harkon. The Covenant are already there in force, but hopefully the soldiers that were stationed there will be able to hold them off long enough for us to come in and kick some major butt - saving them all and being generally badass and acting like it isn't a major annoyance to have to come help them."

"Sarge, exactly how alive does this Professor have to be when we're done? I mean, can he get winged a couple times for being such a pain in the ass?" James asked.

"Nothing that can be traced back to us," Kathleen answered. "Now, be ready because we're about to drop into what should be a hail of plasma." Kathleen stood and moved to the rear hatch. She hit the controls and grabbed her assault rifle. The ODSS stood and prepared for the fight.

"A lot of plasma fire down there. Damn, they are singeing my wings," Luke complained. The pelican landed and opened the rear hatch. "If we don't get rid of them soon my baby is going to be useless. Why don't I ever get to have anything nice?"

"Maybe if you fixated on something a bit smaller, like say a gun or something, then it would a smaller target," David suggested.

"I thought he did fixate on something smaller." James looked to Peter as he spoke.

"Oh, screw you, James. Just for the record, my gun is bigger and longer than yours," Peter pointed and indicated the sniper rifle on his back. He had his SMG at the ready, in no rush to use up his sniper ammunition in close combat.

Kathleen ignored her soldiers' banter, focusing instead on the lowering hatch. She didn't wait for it to fully open, crouching and jumping up enough to clear the nearly open hatch and land on the grass of their landing area. She hit the ground and took in the situation in a second. There were Grunts and Jackals shooting toward the building and the pelican, along with a couple Elites. It seemed like there was too few; at least not enough for an attempt to take a research facility. But Kathleen would think about that once she was done with what was in front of her. She raised her gun and fired, targeting the grunts first. Rounds tore through their masks and the short aliens bled and gasped for methane. There was pistol fire behind her, hitting the Jackals in their hands or feet and opening them for the rounds from the ODSS's SMGs to rip through the bird-like aliens. Kathleen eyed the shield indicator on her HUD, and it showed that it had only dropped a quarter from the shots that had actually hit her.

Once the Jackals were thinned out enough, Kathleen charged forward. "Hit them hard, marines." The soldiers ran up with her, rushing the enemy. Kathleen passed right by the Jackals and Grunts and went straight for the Elites. One of them roared and raised its rifle as she charged it. Kathleen sidestepped the shots and then sprinted forward. Her SMG slammed into the side of the Elite's head, quickly followed by her leg smashing into the alien's side. That knocked out the enemy's shield and allowed her to grab her pistol and put a round through the Elite's elongated head. Kathleen then looked around and frowned as she realized that all the other enemies were already dead.

"Yes! For once my bird doesn't get blown up right away in the start of a mission," Luke cheered.

"I could blow it up for you if you want me to, Peter. I don't think you can compete with something with that big of a rear," Tym offered.

"Something isn't right here." Kathleen frowned behind her visor and turned toward the facility. "Maria, any word from the facility?"

"None, Sergeant. I'm not getting anything. Their communications seem to be offline," Maria reported. Kathleen noted that the voice no longer seemed to be in her head, only her speakers. "I haven't gotten any distress calls since we received our original orders to arrive here, and the report that there were enemies present."

"All right, I guess we'll just have to knock and see who's home." Kathleen moved toward the building, keeping her eye open for any sign of why the facility had gone silent. She motioned to Matthew and then to the door. He moved over and got to work while the ODSS moved to cover him. The door slid open and Kathleen quickly entered, scanning the hallway. There was plasma burns on the side of the wall, and a pair of techs lying on the floor that were so clearly dead that she didn't bother checking them for a pulse. Kathleen took point and moved down the hallway, noting that only the emergency lights were on.

The ODSS moved into the building as quietly as they could. Kathleen stopped them outside the door to the main lab, which seemed to be jammed open. She eased up to the side and peered around the corner. Inside she could see five Elites, all in a type of red armor she didn't recognize. There was one Elite that was holding a scientist in the air; its helmet was different from the others, with a set of small spikes on it that looked like antenna.

"Weak humans. You're so foolish that you'll believe anything if you think it will save you." The voice whispered in her ear, her suit's software translating the alien's words. The oddly armored Elite then stabbed forward with an energy sword, and tossed the scientist's body to the ground. "To the jungle. We will not let them get away with it." The Elites ran off through the building.

"Sergeant, phantom outside," Luke reported. "Damn thing's hitting the pelican hard and just dropped a wraith." The marine cursed. "Shit, they just took a wing off my baby. I'm going to destroy that thing."

"Peter, there's some Elites heading out, track them. Luke, destroy the wraith and don't screw around with it," Kathleen ordered. She moved into the room and motioned for Patrick to examine the computer systems. Kathleen moved to the fallen scientist and looked him over. There was nothing special about the man, and from his ID tag he was just an average lab worker. Still, he'd had information the Elite had wanted. And what was worse, had given the information up in a cowardly and pointless attempt to save his own life.

"The computers are clean, but those Elites must have been after something," Emily reported. "All the staff seems to be dead as well." Emily moved away from one of the fallen technicians.

Kathleen looked down at the man at her feet. "Then someone ran with information important enough to risk treason and death for breaking Cole Protocol. Let's hope Peter saw which way those Elites went." Kathleen was sure that had been the information the man had given up. Part of the staff at this facility had grabbed some data and run, and this man had given up their destination to the enemy. She left the bodies there, not able to do anything else for them. Kathleen led her team through the rest of the building and back out the way they came in.

Outside, the wraith was a smoking wreck, and so was the pelican. Luke was still cursing at the Wraith and kicking it while Peter was perched on top of the destroyed pelican and staring out into the forest. He turned toward her as Kathleen approached. "Ma'am, I tracked them heading into the forest. They moved off directly that way." Peter motioned off the way he'd been watching. "Right through the trees there."

Kathleen nodded, understanding what he was indicating. The fact that the Elites had gone off in an exact direction meant they knew where they were going. "Maria, what's in that direction?"

"Data shows that there are no buildings or houses in that direction. The only man-made structures are some old, abandoned mines," Maria explained. "It is possible that any escaping staff would have taken refuge in the mines. It might be a good place to hide."

"Unless you have a squad of Elites on your tail," Kathleen countered. She switched to the team channel. "All right marines, we've got some Elites to chase. They're chasing someone who might have broken Cole Protocol. I want answers, so we better keep those hinge-heads from getting to those cowards first."

The marines moved out into the forest, heading in the same direction as the Elites. The trees obscured their view of the ships above, giving them all small refuge from the reality that Reach was under attack. It was something that was still hard for Kathleen to comprehend. This was Reach, the one place she'd always felt the Covenant would never step foot. Now all of that was wrong. She just felt more determined to toss the Covenant off of her planet.

They reached the entrance of the mine and stopped. "Maria, and signals or distress calls?" Kathleen took point as they slowly moved into the mine, keeping an eye out for any sign of the enemy.

"None, though that is not a surprise. The ones who took refuge here might think the mine would keep their signals from getting out," Maria answered. "There are communication lines in this mine however, so we will not lose contact with FLEETCOM. I have taken the liberty of informing Command that you are chasing down suspected loose UNSC data, as such an action seems to follow your reported behavior."

"Acceptable." Kathleen stopped and activated her VISR system. She looked over the ground for any tracks. She spotted the outline of an elite's foot and moved in the same direction the footsteps seemed to be heading. Her team moved deeper into the mine, just following any tracks that Kathleen saw.

They reached an elevator, or at least the framing of an elevator shaft. The actual elevator was gone. Kathleen guessed that the Covenant or the humans before them had used it to descend deeper into the mine. Kathleen looked over the rigging and then to her soldiers. "We're going down," she informed them.

The metal was not that strong, and it creaked as the eleven soldiers, one of them in full MJOLNIR armor, climbed down. It took them a while to climb down into the dark depths of the mine. Kathleen didn't mind; in fact, she liked it. Her VISR system was more useful down here, and it clearly outlined everything around her. She looked in every direction, scanning the area. A few lines blinked and Kathleen turned toward them. She inspected the ground and easily recognized the warthog tracks. At least she knew the scientists had come this way. She almost moved away until she noticed something. A part of the tracks was disturbed. She could only assume it was caused by one of the elites. Kathleen raised her weapon and started down the tunnel, her soldiers following.


	15. Encounter

The caves seemed to go on forever; with no real indication of where they went, or even if they doubled back at all. It was all just wide dark space after wide dark space. Kathleen was starting to wonder if they were going the right way, as they'd lost sight of the Elite tracks as well as any sign of the warthog. She was just considering turning back when Peter, who had taken point, signaled to the team that they found something. Kathleen moved to the soldiers that had gathered in the passage around some gear. She looked over the supplies that were carefully organized. The little crevice in the tunnel would be easily missed by anyone that might have been traveling through the tunnel and not really looking for it. It sort of zig-zagged, so from one direction it was invisible and from the other you had to look extremely close to even notice it wasn't just a side of the main tunnel-wall.

"This is all UNSC gear. Old outdated stuff, but still UNSC." Peter handed a black body suit to Kathleen and she looked it over. There was nothing special about it, just an old standard-issue skin tight body suit.

Kathleen tossed it to the side and frowned at Peter. She didn't see why he'd stopped her for this. "Any sign of the Covenant?"

"No, but UNSC gear wouldn't be sitting down here for no reason. It also wouldn't be too far from anything they might have down here," Peter reasoned.

Kathleen nodded, getting the idea. "Maria, can you find any records of these mines?" She turned and moved out of the small hidden area. A part of her wondered what the gear was doing hidden away like this in the first place, but that wasn't her problem right now so she just made a mental note of the gear's location and turned her focus back to the Covenant. She was still considering turning back, seeing if they missed anything, or maybe splitting her team in two to check both ways. She stopped and her thoughts returned to the gear and Peter's reasoning. "Maria, do you have anything?"

"Nothing special, though I did find records that these mines were used as supply storage. That might be why the gear is down here," the AI proposed.

Kathleen frowned, not agreeing with that conclusion. "Why is it hidden away? Why is it all the way down here on its own?" She considered that it might have been hidden by workers to sell on the black market, but that seemed unlikely with how organized the supplies were and their placement. There also just wasn't a large enough quantity to justify the risk of stealing. "Marines, we're pressing on." Kathleen started to move down the tunnel again, her soldiers following along behind her.

Kathleen's mind was restless as they continued down the path. Maybe it was just the lack of action, but her mind continued to think back to the gear. Something about it nagged at her and she didn't like not understanding, which angered her. Any thought of the out of place equipment vanished however as an end to the tunnel became visible. Kathleen motioned for her team to stop before she crept forward. There were no lights at the end of the tunnel, only the outlines produced from her VISR system. There was one large structure in the center outlined by yellow lines that seemed to be some sort of concrete bunker. It seemed out of place here in the bottom of the mines, and reminded Kathleen more of the bases she'd seen while training as a Spartan than a fortified safe-house. There were seven red-marked figures standing outside the building, all easily identifiable as Elites. Their armor was the same unusual looking configuration they'd seen on the Elites in the lab, so she was fairly certain they were the same ones. Frankly, Kathleen thought they looked rather stupid - unless the Covenant was now trying to win this war by wearing armor so gaudy soldiers would rather surrender than look at the Elites. She could see the slight outline of another entrance on the other side of the building. Her VISR couldn't pick it out, but she could still see it in the dark with her enhanced vision.

The Elite leader, whose only difference from the others seemed to be a short pair of antenna on his helmet, motioned with his hands and Kathleen guessed he was directing them around the building. Upon closer examination, Kathleen could see just a glimpse of a warthog's bumper. So, the scientists had taken shelter in the concrete bunker. She looked over the area, looking for anything that might lend a hand to her team in getting in fast. Kathleen switched from her VISR to thermal to try to get a look at the human forces inside. She saw the seven Elites, and what looked to be around three to five humans inside; though they were apparently huddled fairly close, as their heat-signatures blurred together.

Kathleen considered her options and gauged the preferred action. "Maria, can you get me radio contact with the soldiers inside without alerting the Covenant?"

There was a momentary pause before Maria spoke. "I have short range contact established. I don't believe these Covenant have the devices that can detect out signal."

Kathleen sighed and braced herself for the part she hated the most when dealing with other soldiers, and opened the COM channel. "Marines, this is First Sergeant Spartan One-One-Three. I am outside the bunker with eyes on a small strike force of seven Elites outside." Kathleen hated identifying herself as a Spartan; to her it was a lie, and one that she despised telling.

The soldier on the other end of the COM cursed. "Seven? How is that a small number?" the marine complained. She could hear her sigh in frustration before she seemed to focus again. "We have a datachip in here, Sarge, which needs to get to ONI SWORD Base. The data on it is of vital importance and can't be destroyed." Something in the woman's voice hinted that she didn't quite believe that though.

Kathleen wished it wasn't as well, because this was going to be a lot harder if she had to keep the data in one piece. "How many of you are there, Marine?" Kathleen could see the Elites spreading out to make their assault.

"Four total," the soldier reported. "One marine, one injured MP, an egghead, and me." That was not a particularly good situation, and an injured soldier didn't make things easier either.

Kathleen made an assumption off of the woman's words. "All right, Trooper, those Elites are going to come storming in soon. We'll be right behind them. Does the Warthog outside still work?"

"Yes, Ma'am," the soldier answered. "It doesn't have a gun, though. It's just a transport." There was a momentary pause. "I think the bastards are getting ready to come in."

"We'll be right behind them," Kathleen assured her. She turned to her team's channel and fired off instructions. "Green: head back up the tunnel to be sure that reinforcements aren't coming in and clear the way. Red: get those soldiers out of there and to the hog. Luke, I want you to take off out of the other exit the moment the soldiers and Red are on board. Blue: we're on that data." Green acknowledgment lights flashed and she felt her soldiers tense. "Let's move, marines!"

The ODSS took off across the open area, splitting apart and moving around the building to cover every entrance. Kathleen heard gunfire and she moved to the closest opening. The Elites had already stormed inside and at least one person was firing back. Kathleen entered on the opposite side of the UNSC troops. She could see a figure in ODST armor firing an assault rifle at a charging Elite. The MP was leaning against the far wall, clutching his side, and the other marine seemed to have frozen at the sight of the enemy. Kathleen's gaze went to a man wearing an ONI uniform, who was clutching something tight. She charged forward and kicked out, her foot making contact with the back of the knee-joint of an Elite that was in her way. The alien's leg gave out and he fell, but Kathleen didn't stop to finish the Elite off, she just moved right past him.

The leader of the Elites grabbed the ONI officer by the arm, but to the man's credit he tried to keep a hold on the datachip. Kathleen moved forward, her fist slamming into the side of the distracted alien's head. The Elite jerked to the side and caused the ONI agent to hit the wall, and drop the datachip. Kathleen's attention was fully focused on the chip that was now bouncing across the floor, and wasn't prepared for the Field Marshal that tackled her from the side. They tumbled until they came to a stop with Kathleen pinned to the ground. The Elite growled but Kathleen struck it again in the face, before she pushed the enemy off. The alien rolled away from her and Kathleen rolled in the opposite direction until she was on one knee. She saw Peter and Max grabbing the Mp and carrying him toward the exit. David had taken hold of the shocked marine and was pulling him toward the exit as well. She then spotted the datachip lying at the foot of an Elite that was trying to back away from Tobias' knife as he tried to keep it back from the retreating group. The Elite backed up and its foot kicked the chip, sending it sliding across the floor. It came to a stop near the exit where an Elite had been distracted by Luke outside in the Warthog, and the unknown ODST had taken the chance to sink her knife into its neck to clear the handle.

An arm suddenly wrapped around Kathleen's neck and jerked her back, but she managed to keep her feet stable under her. She stuck back with her elbow and managed to hit her attacker's chest. The arm loosened enough for her to pull it free and spin to face the Field Marshal. He growled, energy sword poised to strike. Kathleen moved instinctively, her hand grabbing the Elite's sword-wrist. Her other hand moved to the alien's helmet, grabbing one of the antenna. The Elite tried to grip her armor, but its fingers slid over the plates. They grappled, Kathleen just trying to keep the sword out of the fight. He was stronger than she expected, and it seemed they were evenly matched. The problem was that this Elite wasn't handling his sword or moving in any way she was used to. He was moving his feet and trying to get them in a position where she would have no footing, but he would. Kathleen steadily maneuvered to keep her footing, but still kept her full force on gripping the alien's wrist tightly.

Kathleen's attention was drawn downward as the datachip slid past them along the floor. She felt the force of the Elite's struggling weaken and knew he'd noticed it as well. Emily ran by them in a flurry of motion and scooped up the chip, ducking away from another Elite. Edward stepped up to ward off the creature and Kathleen saw Emily toss the chip. Tobias snapped it out of the air and turned on his heels, running out the door behind the rest of Red Team. As soon as she heard the warthog's engine come to life, the Field Marshal took a step back. Kathleen released its wrist, turning her full attention to the enemy, expecting it to strike. "After them!" the Elite shouted to his soldiers. Kathleen took a step toward her foe, tensing as she knew he would strike at her. The Elite swung high with its sword so Kathleen ducked down under it, knowing that a move like that left its side open. Kathleen moved to pounce forward, looking to tackle her foe to the ground. To her surprise he did something she hadn't expected and he kept spinning. His leg came up and the Field Marshal slammed the sole of its foot against her visor. Kathleen flew back, hitting the ground hard and her shields drained fully from the force if the impact. She was stunned for a moment, and only stunned more when she saw the Field Marshal do something she'd never seen an Elite do: run away. He vanished out of the same exit Tobias had used.

Kathleen pushed herself back to her feet and looked around the room, realizing the only Elite left was one that was struggling against Edward. Kathleen saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and raised her hand - catching the object that was tossed to her. Emily crossed the room, moving to her partner's aid while Kathleen turned and ran out the exit in the direction they'd originally come from. She gripped the datachip Emily had thrown her, which had impressed her as she hadn't seen the woman make the switch. She was sure Tobias didn't even know the rock she'd tossed him wasn't the chip until he'd caught it.

Kathleen raced across the open area, moving back to the tunnel Green Team had gone to clear. She knew Emily and Edward would follow as soon as they finished off whatever enemies were still in the base, so she just focused on putting as much distance between the data and the aliens. She'd been going for only a couple seconds when a red dot appeared on her HUD. One of the Elites was following her, and their long legs allowed them to sprint faster than even Kathleen could manage. She had to think fast or she'd end up in a fist-fight and risk losing the data. She was struck by an idea and put on a small burst of speed, knowing that she couldn't be seen or her plan would probably leave her trapped.

She continued along the tunnel until she spotted the hidden crevice in the side of the tunnel. She moved straight to it, slipping through the opening and moving around the small bend so that she would hopefully not be noticed. She slipped the chip into a pouch on her belt and moved as flat against the wall as she could. She turned away from the opening, hoping to hide her faceplate which might be reflective enough to be seen. Her eyes focused on her motion tracker, watching for the red dot. She didn't have to wait long before the small red indicator of the Elite appeared on her sensor. It stopped in the center of the tunnel and Kathleen just stared at it, tense and waiting for the worst. She could hear the growl of the alien echo in the open area before the dot took off again, continuing on. Kathleen let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding but didn't move from her spot. She'd let the Elite get a good distance away before she even twitched, just in case it came back.

Kathleen didn't move until two yellow dots appeared on her HUD and she flashed a green light to them. The two marines came to a stop and Kathleen moved out of her hiding spot. "One of the Elites followed me," she informed them. "We're heading out behind it so keep an eye open." The ODSS both nodded and Kathleen started to move up the tunnel.

They ran along the path for a while until they came to the area they'd originally climbed up. Kathleen felt uneasy about the fact that they hadn't found the Elite. A part of her wondered where he was simply to avoid being attacked, but also her pride demanded she find him so she could wring his neck for kicking her. They climbed back up to the higher area. They met up with Green Team part of the way back, but they hadn't seen any sign of the Elite.

They regrouped outside of the tunnel entrance and Kathleen had Maria send a nav-marker to Red Team to direct them where to go. Kathleen passed the chip to Patrick, leaving the tech to him. Kathleen set Matthew and James at the mouth of the tunnel to be sure the Elite didn't show up unannounced. She watched Patrick's screen as he scrolled through the information, only catching glimpses of data but none of it made sense. Red Team arrived a few minutes later, the warthog bouncing over the terrain and looking over-stuffed with passengers. Patrick slipped the datachip back to Kathleen and she moved away while he went back to looking over something.

The Lieutenant double timed it to Kathleen, looking panicked. "The ODST said they don't have the data. I think the Covenant might have gotten it."

Kathleen swallowed her displeasure over the ODSS being referenced as not being her soldiers, and held out the chip. "Calm down, sir, I've got it right here." The Lieutenant took the datachip and muttered something in a language that Kathleen' didn't recognize and moved away.

The ODST from before then moved toward Kathleen, pulling her helmet off. Her brown hair was tied back in a short ponytail and her dark brown eyes expressed something between relief and annoyance. "Thank you for getting us out of there, Sergeant. The egghead wanted to stop, and if you and those ODST hadn't shown up we would have been done for. We were trapped in that location." The woman glanced toward the ONI officer and scowled at his back. "I owe you one, Spartan," she said as she turned again to Kathleen and smiled slightly. "If you ever need another ODST to back you up, ma'am, you can call on me."

Tobias moved over to join them, his helmet tucked under his arm and a smirk on his face. "How about us? Can we call you any time, say when on shore leave?"

The ODST smiled as though she was about to drop a hammer on him. "Sure thing, I'll invite my boyfriend and we can all go out for drinks."

Tobias didn't skip a beat, still smirking as he answered. "I look forward to meeting him if he's anything like you."

Kathleen cut in, stopping the pointless conversation. "I think you have an officer to protect."

"Of course, ma'am. Nothing better than some babysitting." The woman nodded and turned away, moving over to the officer and informing him that they needed to get moving.

Kathleen ignored them, sure that the ODST could handle herself, but she made a mental note to put into her report how well the ODST had managed herself in the situation. Maybe it would get her on duties more important than guarding an ONI spook. "Maria, do you have new orders for us?"

"A Pelican is on its way to take you to your next location," the AI informed her. "Marking where they'll land." The marker appeared on Kathleen's HUD, indicating a clear spot near the mouth of the tunnel.

"We have a new destination," Kathleen informed Tobias. "Have the team gather by the LZ." Tobias moved away and Kathleen searched the area, finding Patrick. He was staring at a datapad, engrossed in whatever was on it. Kathleen made her way over to the tech. "What was so important that it couldn't be destroyed?"

Patrick didn't look up from the screen as he answered. "I really wish I could answer that," he said, scowling at the screen. "There are some references to a location that's not specified, an artifact of some sort, and a lot of code words that I can't seem to figure out the meaning of. I honestly don't' see why it's so important."

"ONI wanted it, so that's all we really need to know to be glad the Covenant doesn't have it." Kathleen didn't like not knowing, but they had bigger things to worry about - like the planet being under attack.


	16. City

2100 HOURS, AUGUST 23, 2552(MILITARY CALENDAR)

Kathleen opened her eyes, greeted by the sounds that had become so familiar over the past few weeks. The roar of the Pelican's engines, the distant sounds of Banshees and Phantoms, and the sound of plasma fire hitting ground as the Covenant attacked cities. The ODSS had been fighting the Covenant on every front; attacked a few AA guns, knocked back ground troops, and caused general chaos as a distraction while the UNSC moved to secure other areas. Kathleen had gotten little sleep, and the constant fighting starting to wear at her and her soldiers. Her new armor was already scratched, burned, and partially caked with alien blood. Having the energy shields was helpful, but from the burning cities outside it was clear that the technology hadn't helped save the planet. Reach was falling, despite humanity's best efforts to try to keep it.

Kathleen looked across the Pelican to the soldiers sitting across from her. Their armor was damaged, dirty, and there was a tired slump to their shoulders. The Covenant was hitting everything hard and Kathleen was proud of her team for continuing on through all of it, refusing to falter. Her gaze shifted to Emily, who was leaning against Edward's side, her hand gripping his loosely. Reach was home to both Emily and Edward, and Kathleen supposed it was hers as well. She remembered Emily standing before the gravestones, taking a moment to say goodbye. They already knew that the planet was done for, Kathleen had known the moment the carrier was destroyed but the full Covenant fleet had arrived.

Most of Kathleen's soldiers had taken moments to bid farewell to their homes, whenever they were on Reach, before it was glassed. Kathleen considered the planet outside and his she felt about its imminent glassing. She then realized she didn't feel much of anything. No fear, no sadness… just numb. It was just another planet being glassed, no different from all the others - aside from the strategical impact of the loss. This was where she was trained, and where she'd trained her soldiers. She should have felt something, but there was just nothing there. Kathleen wondered if something was broken in her for not feeling anything for her home. Her soldiers had all retained that bond to a point that she'd even seen it affect them in combat. Some became more violent, Tym had a habit of staring at burning farms, and here on Reach Emily and Edward had shown a palpable reluctance to be separated. Kathleen wasn't sure if these things were weaknesses or strengths; something that would break their spirit, or to drive her soldiers on in a fight.

Kathleen examined her own connections to the planet again, trying to figure out why she wasn't upset. Was she just trained not to get attached so the loss wasn't affecting her? She tossed out that idea, knowing that despite her training she'd been attached to the other Spartans. Was it because Reach wasn't where she was born, or at least she didn't think it was? She didn't know what planet she was from, where her family was buried. So then did she not have a home planet to be upset over? It would like being upset over the death of a stranger she'd only met once, decades in the past. Her lack of emotion toward Reach was starting to annoy her and she cursed herself for letting it get to her like this. Her connection (or lack thereof) with a burning planet didn't matter, and was only a distraction. She needed to stay focused, particularly as the fight dragged on.

"New orders," Maria's voice cut into the silence, giving Kathleen something to focus on. She was becoming more used to the AI, and it was proving to be helpful. Maria kept track of troop movements that mattered, relayed orders, and could hack tech while Patrick was too busy shooting at enemies. It was worth the minor discomfort of sharing her armor with Maria.

"What have we got?" Kathleen was expecting just about anything at this point. She hoped whatever it was they'd be going someplace for new supplies. They were currently using MA5B rifles that they'd confiscated from what seemed to be a rebel's stash. They'd also gotten some SMGs, along with some explosives that Kathleen didn't want to think about what their original intended purpose was. It was better that it was out of the hands of the rebels though, and at least for now they hadn't needed to resort to using Covenant weapons - for the most part. After all, a plasma pistol was useful from time to time.

"I have directed Luke to a nearby city where there is a high-value target," Maria explained. Kathleen tensed, trying to will their target to be the Field Marshal she'd grappled with on that first day of the warfare on Reach. The fight still bothered her, and she believed this particular enemy to be the same Sangheili she'd come to blows with a few times before. Never had she bested him, but at the same time he'd never exactly beaten her. One of them would make their objective, and they'd exchange wounds or hard hits, but it was never anything more than that. Since the last time she'd seen him she could swear she'd spotted him again in the distance a few times; but he was always far away, or they'd needed to go in a different direction. "There is a Field Master that has a groups of marines trapped in the city's Capitol building. He is suspected to be in charge of Covenant ground troops in the surrounding areas."

"Understood, we'll take him out," Kathleen confirmed, sitting up in her seat. Her soldiers all turned to look at her, awaiting orders. "We've got a new target," Kathleen informed them over the team COMM. "A Field Master that needs a bullet to the head to disorganized local troops. Luke, park us away from the capitol building so we can get an idea of what we're up against before we charge into the fight and start spilling blood." Her team all flashed green lights and started moving. James was checking their explosives, Peter looking over his sniper rifle and what little ammunition he had left, and Emily was stretching her limbs to limber up. Her team was still sharp, but she was looking for signs of fatigue or if any of the injuries Max had patched up were going to be a problem.

It was ten minutes before the pelican started to slow, signally that they were nearing the city. Kathleen stood, waiting for the ship to come to a stop wherever Luke was landing them. "Maria, give me a city map." A map of the city appeared on Kathleen's HUD, showing they were about three blocks from the center of the town. She moved to the rear door and her soldiers stood, prepping their weapons. The door opened and Kathleen moved out, gun sweeping the area. There were no enemies in sight, but Kathleen still gave it a quick scan. There were only small trees lining the streets, and a few were broken or burning so there was little cover, meaning they couldn't sit out in the open for very long. Kathleen crossed the open area quickly, heading toward the center of town, moving up against the closest building. The UNSC had evacuated most of its troops out of the city, but there were still bodies of the fallen scattered about - both soldier and civilian alike. She ignored them, not needing to see more of the sometimes half-eaten corpses. There were Covenant bodies as well; mostly Grunts and Jackals, but she saw a few Elites as well, so at least the soldiers had done some damage.

Kathleen moved to one side of the building's entrance, motioning to David and he moved to the other side. They grabbed the malfunctioning sliding doors and yanked. Matthew and James entered the ground floor and Kathleen waited. After a few seconds James flashed his green light and the ODSS moved into the structure. Tables had been topped, burn marks were on the wall, and there were a few dead civvies. Kathleen motioned to Matthew and then to the elevator door, and then waved Patrick toward the stairs.

Matthew and James pried the elevator doors open with ease, but the elevator car was missing. A quick glance up showed nothing, but after a look down Kathleen could see it, the car having slammed down to the sub-floor level. Kathleen pushed aside the thought of whether or not it had been occupied when it fell. Patrick returned, taking the stairs two at a time. "Second floor is clear," he reported. "No sign of combat, so there may be civilians still in the building."

"That's not our concern," Kathleen said, turning her gaze back up the elevator. The idea of just leaving civilians to cower in the building seemed harsh, but they had a mission and couldn't afford to be sidetracked. Besides, there was little they could do for any civvies other than to remove the Covenant presence. "We're heading to the roof so get ready to climb," Kathleen informed her troops. The stairs would simply take too long and she didn't want to use the surface streets where they were likely to meet Covenant patrols. It was too much of a risk to get engaged in a firefight before they even got recon on their target.

Kathleen reached out, grabbing one of the elevator cables and tugged on it roughly to test it. She was satisfied that it could handle at least four of them and after testing two others, being sure they would suffice, she grabbed the cable and started to pull herself up. The cable swayed with each movement, even more so as others followed her up. It would be a bit of a climb with ten floors, but it would be worth it in the long run for the safety. She had to think of her soldiers, of how far she could push them at this point without killing them.

"Hope the Covies don't find my baby," Luke commented over the Team COM. "I know she's a bit beaten up - but she's still running, and she got us away from those banshees."

"No, an EMP got us away from those banshees," Tobias corrected. "Honestly a waste of most of my plasma pistol."

"Would you rather we got shot down?" Peter countered.

Kathleen just listened to her soldiers chatter as she climbed higher and higher. She would let them talk freely for now, it wasn't doing any harm, and soon they'd have to focus again. Right now they were in the eye of the storm that was the battle for Reach. She'd let them have their moment of peace, because soon enough the storm would come crashing down around them. It made the climb a bit less boring, but some of their talk also unsettled her. There was no discussion about killing enemies or trash-talking the Field Master. It was a sign that her soldiers were aware that the planet was being lost, that the UNSC had already been beaten.

Kathleen reached a floor only a few levels down from the top, and decided they'd gone far enough. She stretched a foot out until she reached the lip of the door and pulled herself over to the edge, letting go of the cable and grabbing the doors. With an single pull they opened - it was a piece of cake for Kathleen, her already enhanced strength amplified by the MIJOLNIR armor. She cleared the room, not a sign of Covenant or humans, before signaling her team to come up. As the marines climbed and exited the elevator shaft onto the floor, Kathleen moved down the hallway to the stairs that would lead them the rest of the way up and to the roof. The stairwell was clear and there was no sign of blood or fighting, so she started up the stairs. Soon the stairwell was thundering with the sound of armored boots as they ascended.

The roof was not in as good of shape as the stairwell; the surface was broken and charred from plasma-fire, but it had long ago cooled. Kathleen moved across the roof and leaned over the edge, looking down to the street below. There was a single pack of Grunts walking down the center of the road, making a slow patrol. She moved to the edge of the building that was furthest from the street and took a quick running start before jumping the gap. The ODSS followed as she moved across the blocks of buildings, jumping the spaces between with relative ease. She took small pauses between each jump so they could get a moment of rest before risking another. She'd be damned if one of her soldiers was going to die from falling off a building.

They reached the end of the block and Kathleen glanced along the street, frowning as she spotted an Elite and group of Jackals on the other end, moving toward their position. She led her soldiers along the roof to a where a billboard had fallen, breaking part of the building across the street and leaving a hole wide enough for them to enter through. Kathleen made sure each of her soldiers crossed first, wanting to be sure that she didn't risk forcing it loose with the weight of her armor and leave the others stranded. Once every soldier was safe in the other building Kathleen made her way across, sliding down the warped surface and jumped over to the other side.

The roof of this building wasn't accessible, so they were forced to jump out a window to a fire escape on the next building. They had more luck with that building, making their way back to the roof and continuing toward the center of town. There were heavier Covenant patrols the closer they got, and Kathleen was glad that she'd taken the trouble of going the higher route. The once sparse patrols of Jackals and Grunts were now Elites with full teams, several at a time on a street.

The actual center of town was filled with motion and Kathleen took it all in from where she was crouched on the edge of the building. In front of the city hall there was a large park the side of a city block, and it was crawling with Covenant. To one side she could see two Phantoms hovering, but there didn't look to be much activity from her vantage point. Where there was activity, was up by the building. There was a large collection of Grunts gathered at the bottom of the stairs. She watched as a single one was pushed forward and it slowly made its way up the steps. When it reached the top there was a flash from inside the door and the Grunt turned, nearly tripping on every stair as it tried to flee. At least she knew the soldiers inside were alive and putting up some kind of fight.

Around the park there were more troops resting, and others giving orders. What caught her attention was the Elites that were closest to her. The gold armor of the Field Master was unmistakable even from high above, but so was the red- tinted armor of the Field Marshal. It was stupid of her to assume that it was the same one she'd seen before, but she'd be lying to herself if she didn't admit she was hoping it was. Every time she'd seen him he'd acted different from any Elite she'd ever encountered, and damn it all if she didn't want to spill his different blood all over Reach. She shook off those thoughts and refocused on their actual target. The Field Master was talking to the Field Marshals and a few gathered commanders. It looked like a war meeting, but Kathleen had never seen that before. She'd never seen Elites talking strategy; she'd just always assumed they had one long before a fight. From the quick motions of their hands she guessed that they were arguing some point. She hoped they kept arguing, it would keep them occupied and give her more time to think on how to handle this.

Kathleen considered her options and what supplies they had. She couldn't go in with a frontal assault, there were too many enemies and they were all in fortified positions. She also needed to try to get the soldiers out of the building, but the only door was surrounded so that route wasn't an option. She considered the roof, but dropped the idea as it would be too visible and if anyone inside of the building was hurt they'd never make it out that way. She was running out of options fast, but they had a mission to complete and by the end of it the Field Master had to be dead. They could just leave the local human troops in the building, but that didn't sit right with Kathleen. Eventually the Grunts would gather the nerve to actually shoot back and the soldiers would grow tired. They wouldn't stand a chance, and she wasn't going to allow that. At this point every life saved was a loss to the Covenant, and if they couldn't win the planet she'd give the Covenant every loss she could manage.

Suddenly, an idea came to her - and Kathleen was rather excited by it. "Maria, give me all maps you have of the area." A selection of maps appeared on her HUD and she chose the one that she needed and overlaid it with an image of the city, satisfied with what she found. "James, count your explosive charges and start planning. Everyone else, listen up. Here's the plan..."


	17. The plan

Kathleen remained motionless where she was crouched, knowing that she had to be patient. She almost hated herself for putting Blue Team on the assignment that required them to wait for the others to finish, but this was where they had to be for this plan to work. She looked over to where Emily was hunkered down, the woman's hands flexing slowly - though Kathleen doubted she was even aware she was doing it. Edward reached over from his own position, fingers just barely touching Emily's arm. Her hands froze before curling into fists and staying that way. With his partner calmed Edward retracted his hand, freezing as still as a statue. Kathleen watched them, her mind meandering to the idea that the other Spartans were probably here on Reach, and fighting like her. Maybe she'd see them…from a distance of course, as she couldn't make contact. Still, she wanted to see them; and alive for a change, rather than dead on the battlefield or in pictures. She pushed away that train of thought. It was neither productive or a good idea. She needed to stay focused and be ready. "Status," she ordered.

"They stopped arguing," Patrick answered. He was to Kathleen's other side, staring at a screen. With Maria's help he'd hacked into the Covenant's COMs and was running it through translation software that was then displaying the aliens' speech as text. It had made it easier for him to tell who was arguing what point, and actually understand what they were saying when they spoke in unison or over each other. "The Field Master is laying out their final plan. Should give our troops a heads up."

That wasn't particularly good news for Kathleen. It meant that their time was running out. And although it had been interesting to hear Patrick inform them of what terms the Covenant used as insults, the arguing hadn't lasted long enough. Kathleen chinned her radio and switched to the channel they'd set up to communicate with the other teams. "Red Team, Green Team, status report."

 _"Red Team,"_ Tobias answered. _"Still getting the survivors out of range. It's slow going, but were on the move. Found twenty-five people inside, but five of them are badly injured. Max says there's not much we can do for them right now."_

"How long until you're clear?" Kathleen asked.

 _"Ten minutes if nothing goes wrong. Might go faster once I kill one of these guys for complaining about the smell."_ Tobias let out a frustrated breath. _"Luke and Peter are in place, but they'll be able to move a lot faster than we are."_

More bad news. The window to execute their plan was closing in and the pieces just weren't falling into place the way Kathleen wanted. "Green, report."

 _"Green Leader. We've got the first stage fully rigged but we're still working on the second stage. We're going to need at least another ten minutes to finish up here,"_ Tym explained.

Kathleen started to think, considering what options she had with her limited time. She was used to things going wrong, and had learned to think quickly on her feet and modify her plans on the fly. "Green Leader, can you set off the first stage while finishing the second stage."

There was a pause as Kathleen knew Tym was conferencing with James before the soldier answered. _"We can do it,"_ he confirmed.

"Set stage one off at my mark, and alert me when you have the second stage ready. Red Leader, I'll need to know the moment you've got the survivors out of range as well." Two green lights flashed, acknowledging the new orders. Kathleen looked to Emily and Edward, balling her right hand into a fist and tapping her knuckles against the palm of her left hand and they nodded. She moved from her spot beside the window and made her way to the back of the building and out into the alleyway. She led her team a few buildings down and into through a back door, checking every room for patrols or wandering Covenant. The front of the building had been partially destroyed, leaving a large gaping hole in one corner of the building.

"Ma'am, they're finishing up," Patrick reported from where he was leaning against a wall. "If we're going to move we need to do it soon."

"Understood," Kathleen moved to the hole in the wall and crouched down, looking out to the gathered Elites. There were four Commanders, three Zealots, and the Field Master standing in the center beside a device projecting a holographic map. Kathleen acknowledged the presence of each enemy but her attention was drawn to the Field Marshal that was listening intently. She spotted the scratch along his forearm's armor, which she'd caused in a recent fight while grappling with him. She turned back to her team who were crouched beside her, awaiting orders. "Kill as many of the officers as you can. I'll keep the Marshal out of the fight and distracted. When I say to go, Patrick, head to the Pelican and come by for pick up." Her soldiers nodded and Kathleen switched to her radio. "Red Leader, order the evac. Green Leader, once they're clear fire stage one." Two green lights flashed and Kathleen peered around the edge of the hole, watching the scene for the right time to strike.

She didn't have to wait too long before something started to happen. A Grunt at the top of the city hall steps started making excited gestures and motioned for others to come up. As though a dam had broken, Grunts moved up the steps, each wanting to be a part of whatever was happening. It was only a second after they started moving that a series of precise explosions went off and the building started to crumble. The Grunts tried to scramble away, but they were quickly engulfed by dust and rubble as it spilled out into the troops. All at once the Covenant became panicked. Some watched, shocked and confused, while others moved to try to rescue whatever forces or equipment they could. The Elites all turned to look at the chaos but didn't move to help. Still, they were distracted and that was all that Blue Team needed.

Kathleen moved out of the building, swiftly crossing the street to where the Elites stood with their backs turned to her. She ignored all the other enemies and moved straight for the Field Marshal. She wasn't sure if he heard her or if something had tipped him off - but just as she was only a few steps away, already swinging her knife, the Field Marshal turned toward her. He stepped back just out of her reach and let out a growl of annoyance. Kathleen took a step back as well, and shifted into a defensive stance. The Elite snarled and then looked to the commotion that was going on beside them. Kathleen chanced a glance to the side and saw that the Field Master was already crumpled on the ground, lying in a growing pool of blue blood. The Commanders were either trying to dodge or failing to make strikes on her soldiers.

Kathleen turned back to the Field Marshal, who was now watching her intently. He looked toward the building and his mandibles twitched just a bit before he turned to his Zealots. "Ignore them and secure the Phantoms," he ordered, waving his troops toward the dropships. Kathleen saw the opening and moved toward the Elite, ready to strike. There was a cry of surprise and a single blob of green plasma hit her shields. Kathleen turned to face the Grunt but it was already too late, the short alien was falling to the ground, cut down by the Field Marshal's energy sword. He turned from the fallen Covenant and snarled at her as he moved to fully face her. "You are mine, Demon."

Kathleen smirked behind her visor, more than happy to oblige him in a little one-on-one combat. The upside to this was that he still kept to the Elite honor-code when it came to duels, so she didn't need to worry about another Covenant daring to interfere. Kathleen made the first move, slashing at the Elite but he easily stepped to the side. He swung his sword but she stepped aside in turn, keeping her guard up for any unusual movement. If she were fighting any other Elite she would have expected him to lunge, to try and grab for her as they often seemed to enjoy using brute force as a show of their strength; but he stayed back at a cautious distance. Kathleen wasn't sure of he'd just learned from past brawls with her that they were equal in physical strength, or if he was simply wary that she might have some kind of trick up her sleeve. Kathleen turned her knife so the blade was facing away from her thumb, shifting her stance to better utilize her new grip. The Field Marshal narrowed his gaze and his head slightly turned away from her, not a good sign for Kathleen. It meant he was thinking, which was the last thing she wanted him to do at the moment. She charged, pulling his attention back to the fight.

The Elite swung, hoping to catch her unable to stop her charge, but Kathleen only rolled to the side and forward, springing back to her feet beside him. He turned, sword arcing toward her, but Kathleen had expected that. His fighting style was fluid, using every movement he could to attack and not letting any momentum go to waste. She let herself fall backward, hands over her shoulders to soften the blow before the power pack of her armor hit the ground. She used the falling momentum to rock back on her shoulders and curl her legs up for just a fraction of a second before she kicked out forcefully. The Elite's swing had brought him close enough that when she kicked out her feet collided with his side, sending him flying backwards. Kathleen repeated the action, this time pushing with her hands as well to spring to her feet. The Field Master was regaining his footing when Kathleen charged full-speed at him. As she neared he moved his arm, trying to take a swing with his sword but she got to him too soon. Her left hand grabbed his wrist and pushed his arm down, keeping the blade from moving. She then raised her right arm up and brought it down, sinking her knife into the Elite's upper arm. He let out a yowl of pain and the sword fell from his hand, flicking off as the safeties activated. Kathleen tried to pull her blade free but found it lodged in her foe's bone. He wrenched himself away from her, taking the knife with him, so Kathleen instead focused on the fallen energy sword.

Kathleen scooped up the blade's handle and switched it on, taking what amounted to an imitation of an Elite's fighting stance. The blade felt uncomfortable in her hand; clearly having been designed for the symmetrical hand of an Elite, not the uneven hand of a human. Still she was armed, and the blade could be deadly with just one strike. That was well worth the discomfort. The Field Marshal gripped the handle of the knife stuck in his arm and with a couple strong yanks pulled it free. The Elite tried to hold it but growled at the weapon before he tossed it aside. Kathleen watched it bounce a few times before it slid across the street and came to a stop - making a mental note to retrieve it later.

 _"Sarge, stage two is ready. Luke and Peter also went for the Pelican,"_ Tym reported. _"I'm ready to set it off at your order."_

"Stand by and wait for my word," Kathleen responded, turning her attention back to her duel with the Elite. She had the upper hand now, as the Field Marshal was unarmed and she had the energy blade. Still she would have to be careful. She didn't know how to fight like an expert with the sword, but the Elite would; as it was one of their most significant weapons. She moved forward and swung at him, just trying to keep him on his toes and prevent him from attacking her. They did a rather clumsy dance - Kathleen swinging the sword occasionally, just trying to keep her enemy at bay and get a feeling for the weapon, while he tried to figure out her attacks with a lack of fighting form.

They continued this for a few minutes but Kathleen knew she wouldn't be able to keep it up for long, as she simply didn't have the endurance. The Elite also seemed to be getting a better feel for how she was wielding the sword and was more easily dodging her attacks, meaning it wouldn't be long before he was able to strike back. And then it wouldn't matter if he was armed or not. It was a relief when Tobias finally radioed her. _"Sarge, survivors are out of the hot zone."_

"Took you long enough," Kathleen complained, taking a step back as the Field Marshal made an experimental attack. "Luke, come pick us up." Kathleen threw herself fully into the fight, swinging wildly to keep the Elite on guard. It worked, and she kept him from finding any openings in which to make an attack. The roar of Pelican engines filled the air and Kathleen heard the guns fire on what were likely fleeing Covenant. She kept up her strikes until the rest of the Covenant around them crouched against the wind blast caused by ship's thrusters. Kathleen turned and ran for the Pelican. She clicked the sword off and attached it to her hip, quickly making a beeline and scooping up her knife as well as she made for the rear hatch of the Pelican. The roar of the Field Marshal was barely audible over the sound of the transport, but it was loud enough to make her glance back to see that he wasn't following. She cursed, but focused on climbing into the vehicle. Peter was there to greet them, helping to pull Patrick in while Emily and Edward leapt into the rear. Kathleen climbed inside and shouted to Luke. "Get us to a safe distance."

The Pelican rose and it shifted into the air once more. "Enemy hostile air coming in," Luke warned. The Pelican shifted again and Kathleen could hear the shots of a Phantom's turret. The purple dropship appeared, coming to a stop near the command area and Kathleen watched as the Field Marshal climbed onto the open side panel.

The Elite looked back at her and she knew he was analyzing her actions, a dangerous thing to allow. Kathleen held out one hand, making a fist and sticking up a single finger in an archaic gesture she'd learned from the ODST they used to compete against as Spartan trainees. "Green, light stage two," she ordered.

 _"Lighting the fireworks,"_ Tym replied. A second later the park filled with Covenant became a scene akin to Hell. There were loud rumbles and all at once the ground caved in certain places, with fissures spreading across the area. Where the initial ground cracked fire belched forth, charring large groups of Covenant before the ground completely gave out under them. Green Team had set explosives in carefully chosen places in the service tunnels that crossed under the space to cause it to collapse. As a little addition they'd opened gas lines in the tunnels and then sealed them off with water-tight doors that had been designed to stop flooding, keeping the gas bottled up. The concussive force of the blasts hit the Phantom and it swerved toward the buildings. To Kathleen's displeasure the Field Marshal remained in the craft. The sides of the Phantom closed and it turned, moving away from them.

Kathleen took one more look at the carnage they had created. The ground was sunken, burned, and littered with bodies. In some places she could see the limbs of buried victims sticking out from piles of dirt. Yet she felt nothing but annoyance at the fact that the Field Marshal had gotten away again. Kathleen hit the rear hatch controls and grabbed a bar above her head to keep standing herself steady. "Meet up with the others," Kathleen instructed. The Pelican shifted and moved out across the city. "Maria, inform Command our target has been taken out."

"Already done," Maria informed her. "I have also sent ahead the transcript of the Field Master's strategy. Current orders are only to get the survivors to safety."

"Understood," Kathleen said, cutting off the conversation with the AI. Her mind went to the way that the Field Marshal had quickly seemed to figure out that her fighting him was meant to be a distraction. Had she fought him enough times now that she'd become predictable? She'd fought hundreds of Elites, so why would this one suddenly be able to analyze her tactics so well? Maybe he'd just fought enough humans to realize that they weren't like Elites. Most Covenant seemed to think all humans were the same, just cattle to slaughter, and unable of higher thinking. She wondered why this single Field Marshal seemed to not see humans in such a way; she wondered what had caused him to see humans as calculating. Had the years of war with the Covenant caused them to evolve into even greater warriors? They were clearly militaristic, so it wouldn't be crazy to think that prolonged conflict would make them better at reading human tactics. Still, the Field Marshal hadn't completely predicted her correctly. He'd thought she was after the Phantoms when they were never a part of the plan. But maybe that had been her fault and the Elite had been smarter. If she'd targeted the Phantoms he wouldn't have gotten away; he would have been killed in the blast and she wouldn't have to worry about him potentially being a step ahead of her in the next fight. Kathleen's hand moved down to rest on the energy sword attached to her armor. If she'd known how to use the weapon better she would have been able to put an end to him with her own hands, but she had hardly ever used an energy sword before. She knew that when she got back to base they'd take it from her. Humanity just couldn't get enough of them to study, so every sword had to go to ONI. Kathleen pushed all her questions about the Field Master from her mind and sat down in one of the ill-fitting seats. She was tired, and she needed a moment to rest before they were once again thrown into the storm.


	18. The storm

0500 HOURS, AUGUST 30, 2552 (MILITARY CALENDAR)

Kathleen moved through the base, disappointed with the news that she'd gotten. They'd lost so much ground and it was clear that Reach had been lost. She'd given a report to what was left of the UNSC command on the planet and, as she had expected, had been relieved of her energy sword. There were soldiers and UNSC personnel hurrying this way and that, rushing to complete the evacuation or salvage attempts they were charged with. Kathleen was heading toward where her soldiers were repairing their armor and replenishing their weapons and ammunitions.

Kathleen had just exited the building when sirens started going off and people started to run around in more of a panic than before. "Sergeant, Covenant troops are moving toward the base. The soldiers are setting up to defend, but I calculate that the assailants' numbers and armaments are more than the soldiers here can handle."

"Order the ODSS to help the armory ready weapons for people to grab. I'll be there shortly." Kathleen took off at a full sprint, her armor making the dash easier on her and cutting the time it took to reach her destination to almost nothing. When she reached the armory, recruits who were too injured to fight were already inside, preparing ammunition and weapons for the other troops. The ODSS were setting out assault rifles and pistols to be distributed and organizing ammunition. Even as soldiers were ripping weapons from the recruit's hands the recruits stared at Kathleen, surprised to see a Spartan in full armor.

Kathleen retrieved ammunition, along with a M6C/SOCOM, M76-SMG, and four HE-DP frag grenades. "How long do you think we'll have until they hit the base?"

"An hour, I hope." Maria paused for a second. "Sergeant, you have new orders," Maria informed Kathleen. "The higher-ups want your team to defend the ONI laboratories. It seems they need some cover while they do some last minute clean up."

"Understood, we're on our way." Kathleen opened a channel with her team. "Grab your gear and let's go. ONI needs some back-up and we've been chosen to give it to them."

The ODSS quickly gathered their own weapons and headed out across the base to the ONI laboratory facility. They hit a problem when they reached the building, though. The security system had locked the lab down and they couldn't get in.

"Maria, can you override this?" Kathleen asked.

"Working on it, Sergeant. The network is chaotic and I'm having some trouble with it." The AI's voice held a hint of irritation. "The Covenant has done a lot of damage." The door then hissed and slid open. "I cleared the path, but the doors wont' stay open forever."

"Move quickly, marines." Kathleen motioned and the ODSS took off down the hall deep into the base. They passed several security stations before they reached the main laboratories. Weapons of both old and current models hung from mounts, while pictures and blueprints for newer weapons were sitting on desks or pinned up on the walls. Boards with long calculations written on them were here and there, while holotanks were placed randomly around the room with 3D images of new designs being emptied of their data. Technicians were working at their stations to make whatever data they could transportable, and purging the rest from the system.

Kathleen spotted a Lieutenant Colonel that seemed to be directing the action. "Sir, ODSS reporting as ordered." Kathleen saluted the officer.

"Glad you made it, Sergeant. The spooks need to move what they can and destroy everything else. While they're doing that, I need you to keep the Covies away. We just got reports of dropships having been deployed near the poles. They'll be here any minute." The officer's eyes roamed from screen to screen as he watched their progress.

"They're already here, and they've overrun the armory." Maria's voice seemed icy cold coming out of the speakers of Kathleen's armor. "By my calculations, they will be here in about ten minutes, maybe less, depending on how long it takes for them to get through the security doors."

Kathleen's mind went to work. "Sir, is there another way out of here, and how much time do you need?"

"There's an emergency exit out the back." The Colonel pointed toward the far side of the lab. "We'll need at least thirty to forty minutes."

"The emergency exit should become our main exit. My team can give you more time if we try to stop them in the entrance. We can buy you thirty minutes, but we'll try to give you more." Kathleen glanced over at her soldiers.

"Very good, Spartan. You do what you have to do and we'll do what we have to do." The Colonel dismissed Kathleen.

Kathleen returned to her troops and started to lay out their plans. The team went to work, making the most of the ten minutes that they had before the Covenant troops would likely break through. The aliens didn't reach the final door until thirteen minutes later. The plasma laser cut through the metal, slowly burning through the security door. The size of the hole they were making almost made Kathleen afraid that the Covenant had brought Hunters down with them. However she then realized that was unlikely, as the creatures were destructive and the Covenant would want to save whatever data they could get their claws on. The ODSS were crouched, ready to spring into action as soon as they saw the aliens. As the wall came falling down, the marines took aim. The first line of Grunts fell as bullets tore through their heads and throats.

The Elite that was leading the squad roared and the rest of the Grunts opened fire, filling the air with green balls of energy. The ODSS moved behind cover to escape, and as they did, a grenade flew through the air, bouncing once before it landed at the feet of the Grunts. There was an explosion and six Grunts fell down, killed by the blast and shrapnel. The others panicked and the Elite roared orders at them, trying to regain control.

The ODSS popped out once more, letting off another burst of rounds and taking down whatever Grunts they could see, tearing through the little aliens easily. A line of Jackals moved forward with their energy shields activated, blocking the marines from being able to kill the remaining Grunts as they continued to panic and flail about.

"How are we getting past the shields?" Matthew glanced out at the shimmering fields of energy. They were overlapped to give the aliens even more cover.

"Peter, can you get any clear shots?" Kathleen tried to decide which plan would work best. She had a good number of them, but she wanted to choose the most efficient option.

"Not of any of the Jackals are open targets and the Elite keeps moving around too much, so I can't get a good angle on it." Peter frowned and kept searching for a pattern in the Elite's movement.

"Anyone close enough to get their hands on a plasma pistol?" Kathleen asked, still working out a strategy.

"I could make a run for one." Emily glanced over, searching for the closest pistol.

"No unnecessary risk. We don't need someone being injured this early on. Though now's as good a time as any to test this armor's shields against Covenant weapons." Kathleen rolled her shoulder to be able to take action.

"This armor has not been tested against Covenant weapons. There were none available to use in the final trials." Kathleen could almost hear the frown in Maria's voice, though the AI didn't actually have a face to frown. "This is a rather large risk."

"Don't really care; I'm only risking my own ass. The shields are about to be field tested," Kathleen informed the AI. "Stay where you are," she ordered the rest of her squad.

Kathleen took off at an all-out run, and managed to scoop up a plasma pistol while also trying to avoid the plasma fire from the Jackals. A few of their shots hit her and her shield dropped a third before she got over to cover. Kathleen then quickly charged the pistol with an over-charged shot. "On my mark." She darted out, letting off the blast of green energy. She then moved back toward her cover. "Mark." The ODSS popped out just as her shot hit one of the Jackal's shields, causing the Jackal and several of its fellows to be pushed back wards. This created an opening, and the marines opened fire, cutting down three of the Jackals. A slightly muffled crack was heard as Peter took down a fourth with a skillful shot, placed right in the small portion of its head that a Jackal had exposed in its surprise. The marines once more moved to cover.

"We're going for confusion." Kathleen knew that the marines would know what to do. She waited a second until her shield recharged, then moved from cover, running toward the Jackals; but she ran right past them, charging the Elite instead. The Jackals turned in their surprise, presenting their backs as targets to the marines. The soldiers popped out, opening fire and killing the bird-like aliens with a hail of bullets that tore through them.

The Elite moved forward to meet Kathleen's charge as the grunts scattered. Kathleen went straight for the Elite's hand that held the plasma rifle, grabbing it and forcing it away from them both. Her free hand hit the weapon, causing it to fall from the Elite's hand. The alien roared in rage and its free hand hit Kathleen in the side. The hit took the wind out of Kathleen but she stayed on her feet. The Elite was obviously surprised to have hit an energy shield. She took the chance to elbow the creature in the neck, and then grabbed the Elite's shoulder while she swept her leg out, taking out the alien's legs. With all the force she could muster, she hefted the Elite up and slammed it bodily against the wall. It hit the metal surface hard and fell to the ground. Kathleen moved forward, slamming down onto the alien's chest, causing its energy shield to flicker and then disappear. Tobias was waiting nearby, shotgun at the ready. Without its shields it only took one blast to destroy the Elite's chest. The rest of the ODSS had already taken out the remaining Grunts.

"Well, the first wave is down. Let's get ready for the next one." Kathleen put away the plasma pistol. "I'm sure that when that Elite doesn't report in they'll send bigger baddies, and we still have to cover the asses of these nerds."

The ODSS piled up the bodies of the dead Covenant, stealing their weapons and passing them out among each other. They also salvaged what Jackal energy shield they could, but found there weren't enough for all of them. They then moved to set up better cover for themselves, knowing that the next group of enemies would likely be much stronger.

What they weren't expecting was to see shimmers of movement down the hallway after only a few minutes. "We've got invisible Elites. They've stopped, so we can assume that they are making a report about the dead ones. Peter, can you take them out?" Kathleen didn't move her eyes from the now nearly impossible-to-see aliens.

"Got a shot on them." Peter stuck out his tongue slightly as he took aim. There were two quick shots and the cloaks fell. The two Elites dropped to the ground, the rounds having torn through their throats. "And they are down."

"We can expect more Elites, maybe something bigger. I don't know if they will risk Hunters, but they might send bigfoot down here to try to get us instead." Kathleen made sure that her SMG had a full clip. They sat in waiting for a while and Kathleen moved from her cover. "Call me if they arrive again. I'm off to see how the spooks are doing." There was a flash of acknowledgment lights as she moved deeper into the lab to find the Colonel. "Sir, how is the clean up going?"

The Colonel turned to look at her. "We're almost done. Half of the people have been cleared out and we only need another fifteen minutes. Can your team do that for us?"

"I'm sure we can keep it up for another fifteen minutes. You'll want to hurry though, sir. They are only going to send worse and worse enemies at us," Kathleen warned.

"We'll move as quickly as we can." Colonel moved over to a tech and started to speak to him.

Kathleen moved back to her team and moved back into cover. "We only have to keep the Covenant at bay for another fifteen minutes."

"Ma'am, we got Elites moving down the hallway. Damn…three blues, two reds, and a silver. They're coming hard and fast."

"That sounds so wrong." Patrick shook his head. "So what are we going to do?"

"Lay down suppressing fire to stop their charge." Kathleen took aim. The marines popped up enough to start shooting, but it didn't seem to slow the Elites. "They aren't stopping, fall back." The marines started to move backward, but not all of them did. "Damn it! Tobias, Edward, I ordered you to fall back." Kathleen spotted the two men who were standing their ground. She stopped in her own retreat and moved toward them.

The blue armored Elites moved ahead of the others, racing to meet Tobias and Edward. The two ODSS looked at each other and nodded, putting away their guns and getting out their combat knives. As the Elites neared the two marines they moved forward. Just as the Elites tried to attack, Tobias moved up on the right, easily slipping around and climbing up on the alien's back. He thrust his combat knife deep into the elite's spine and it crumpled under him. Edward sidestepped out of the way of the attack of the Elite on the far left. He stabbed his knife up into the elite's throat and then pulled it up, slicing along the creature's neck. The third was about to strike at Edward when something landed on its back. Emily held on tight as her blade was buried deep into the elite's skull. The other Elites stopped as the three ODSS stood, ready for them to come. Kathleen moved up behind the three with James and Tym beside her.

"Why do you never listen to my orders when it really matters?" Kathleen asked the two marines as she readied her own combat knife, eying the silver Elite.

"Because if we did then we wouldn't get the same results as we do now. You taught us to do what we have to in order to complete the mission, to trust in our abilities, and to not back down from a challenge. That's all we were doing." Tobias said as he cleaned off his own blade.

Kathleen didn't really know how to argue against that. "Well who wants to take who? I already call dibs on the silver one."

"I call the red one on the right." Tobias smiled happily. "You want to run the interference for me?" James nodded to him.

"Then I'll take the last one. You better have my back." Edward motioned to Tym, who gave a single nod.

"All right, remember the wolves. Now let's go get them." Kathleen charged forward. She knew that Emily was right behind her, being her back-up. The Elites were surprised by the fact that the soldiers were charging them with only knives as weapons. James ran right past the red Elite on the right and the creature turned to try to strike him. This only left the alien open to Tobias' knife, which dug deep into the alien's side. He pulled it along the Elite's torso, cutting it open. While the alien's attention was caught, James came up to strike. His knife buried deep into the alien's shoulder. He dragged down as much as he could over to the aliens' neck. The elite panicked for a moment and it gave Tobias the chance to pull his blade out and slam it into the other side of the elite's neck. There was a moment of struggling and the two marines removed their blades. The Elite fell to the ground.

Tym moved right in the way of the other red Elite. The Elite's full attention was on Tym so it wasn't hard for Edward to move up behind the Elite and stab his knife into the alien's lower back. The Elite let out a cry of pain before Tym buried his knife into the alien's stomach, cutting along it as Edward did the same on the other side. The Elite fell and Edward knelt down, stabbing his knife into the alien's skull to kill it.

Emily moved around the silver Elite but it didn't even pay attention to her. Unlike the others, it moved forward to meet Kathleen. It held an object in one of its hands, and in a flash an energy sword appeared. The Ultra Elite slashed out at Kathleen. She barely managed to dodge the attack and it came close enough to make her shield shimmer. The Elite turned as Emily jumped to get on the alien's back, but it reached up, grabbing her at the throat with its free hand. It drew the energy sword back to finish her off, but Kathleen grabbed the arm that held the sword, holding it in place to stop him. The Elite growled in anger, trying to pull its arm free. It said something in its own language, quickly swinging its arm back to try to throw Kathleen off. She held on tight but the beast managed to slam her into Tobias, who had just finished off the red Elite, sending the marine flying into the wall. Emily moved with the bit of momentum of the Elite's turn. Her foot just barely made contact with the Elite's head, stunning it enough to make it drop her. Emily hit the floor on both feet and then pounced forward, tackling the Elite around the waist, which was enough to make the alien lose its balance and cause him to fall. Kathleen let go of the Elite's arm and rolled to her feet. She moved forward as soon as the Elite was on the ground and buried her blade into the alien's throat, cutting through it easily. The six soldiers stood in triumph while James helped Tobias up, who was rubbing his shoulder in pain.

Suddenly there was the sound of gunfire from down the hall. "Sarge, there were stealth elites with them. They slipped past us during the fight," Peter reported. The six marines turned, taking off for the sounds of the SMGs of the other soldiers. They found the two dead elites and two dead technicians.

Kathleen moved over as she spotted the Colonel. "Sir, are you alright?" She kneeled beside him. He didn't look like he was in good condition. There was a serious plasma burn on his shoulder and on the officer's right arm.

"Spartan, there's not much time," The Colonel choked out. "The base has a back-up protocol that can be enacted called WHITE GLOVE. The problem is that the security has to be removed in order to activate it. WHITE GLOVE is the only way to insure that the Covenant doesn't get any of the data left here. You have to remove the security."

"How do we do that?" Kathleen hoped that he could hold on long enough to tell her. Max was a skilled medic in combat, but these were fatal wounds, not something that a field med-kit could take care of.

"They aren't hard to find. In the main laboratory there's a control panel. If you use that it will tell you exactly where they are. You have to destroy them or the Covenant may find Earth." His breath was ragged, but the Colonel's serious tone made it clear that what he'd said was an order.

"We won't fail you, sir." Kathleen watched him as his eyes slowly closed and his body went limp. She turned to her soldiers, who were all looking to her. "We've got a new mission," she said as she stood up. "Let's go destroy some things that are in locations we don't know."

Matthew smiled wide. "Sounds like fun."


	19. Flight  base

0700 HOURS, AUGUST 30, 2552, (MILITARY CALENDAR)

Kathleen rounded the corner and skidded to a halt as she caught sight of the brute standing in her way. The surprised barks of grunts filled the air as they struggled to retrieve their plasma pistols. Kathleen didn't hesitate for a moment, striking out with her fist and cracking the skull of the closest grunt. It flew back, hitting another grunt and sending them back tumbling down the hallway.

Shots fired and the armor piercing rounds of the SMGs drove the brute back to try to find cover. Kathleen pulled out her M6C and took aim. With four well-placed shots, she dropped the grunts. She jumped back and rolled back into the next hallway to avoid the plasma shots from the trio of jackals. She moved to her feet and motioned to David, then made a throwing motion toward the jackals.

David stepped out of cover for only a second, tossing the frag grenade with ease. It landed at the feet of the enemies and detonated, throwing fire and shrapnel, killing the jackals. He then moved back to cover as the familiar shots of a plasma rifle cut through the air where he had stood.

Kathleen signaled for them to wait and readied her SMG, crouching down to make a smaller target. She could hear the nearing footsteps of the alien against the hard metal floor. Kathleen held up three fingers, two, one, then made a fist. She and the ODSS moved from their cover and opened fire on the brute. The SMG rounds pinged off its shield for a moment, but the sheer force of all 12 soldiers firing cut it down in less than a second allowing the rounds to tear through armor and flesh.

Kathleen did a quick sweep of the area before she lowered her weapon. "Maria, how close are we?" They'd been following the AI's directions to the closest terminal. They'd found three others but they had all been damaged to an extent where they were no longer usable.

"It's just at the end of the hallway. From the base's system it seems to be in working order." Maria paused for a moment. "There are phantoms inbound to our location. We have ten minutes before they land."

Kathleen ran down the hallway and slid to a stop in front of the terminal. She pulled the data matrix out of her suit and slipped the card into the terminal. "Get us those locations, Maria."

Maria was silent before she spoke. "They are scattered pretty far from one another." Maria nodded. "I have the locations, but we'll need a ride to get to them."

"You said that phantoms were on their way here." Kathleen retrieved the AI from the terminal and inserted her back into her suit. "Well, that will have to be our ride." Maria brought up the map of the planet and put markers on the location of the three terminals. "Maria, how many phantoms are on their way here?"

"There seem to be two, wait; a third one just changed direction. It will arrive in two minutes." The image of Maria frowned. "What do you plan to do?"

"We're going to take the phantom. We'll have to take it before the other phantoms can get here." Kathleen checked her HUD and Maria marked the place where the phantoms would land. Kathleen motioned and took off down a hallway toward the landing site. Her squad fell into line behind her.

The main doors slid open and Kathleen looked up toward the sky where she could spot the outline of a phantom on the horizon. "Get ready marines, phantom inbound." Kathleen switched out the clip in her SMG and moved to cover. The other soldiers did the same and they watched as the phantom moved in closer and spun around to hover above the ground. The sides slid open and over twenty grunts and fifteen jackals jumped down.

"We've got elites," Pat announced, spotting the elite who landed among the jackals. "Only one though. Seems odd for how many other troops there are. The phantom's trying to move away."

"Peter, see if you can take out the elite. Emily, Edward, with me." Kathleen ran along one of the side walkways halfway up the building. She could hear the hurried footsteps of Emily and Edward behind her. Kathleen turned and jumped up on the wall before taking one great push and leapt to the phantom. She landed inside of the alien ship and rolled to a standing position. She raised her weapon and spotted a group of four grunts all looking at her, stunned. Emily and Edward landed behind her and raised their weapons. The three opened fire and killed the grunts in a hail of fire. The pilot turned around and Edward dropped it with a single shot. The ship swayed a bit and Kathleen moved to the controls. She tapped a few buttons and the ship stabilized.

Emily moved to the weapons system and sat down at the controls. She rotated the lower gun and fired, sending grunts and jackals flying in burst of plasma. She stopped when the system failed to spot any more Covenant forces. "I'm not getting any more targets."

Kathleen opened her COM. "You cleared everything down there?" Green status lights winked from all of her soldiers and she nodded. "All right, James, Tym, I want you both up there and taking out those other two phantoms. We don't want them getting the drop on anyone left in the base."

"On it, Sarge." James moved over to the side of the walkway that crossed over the open area. He pointed up at the sky and pointed at the pair of phantoms inbound. Tym came up behind him and handed him one of the jackhammer launchers. The two marines took sights and waited for the launchers to lock in on their target. They both let loose a pair of rockets and the missiles sped through the air, impacting into the side of the phantoms. The second set of explosions rippled through the ships and the ships both erupted into larger blasts and sent bits and pieces of metal showering down to the ground below.

"Both targets destroyed," Tym reported. He and James moved back to join up with the other marines.

"All right, everyone get your asses in here. We've got a mission to accomplish." Kathleen moved the phantom over so that her soldiers would be able to easily get into the ship. Once all the marines were on the ship, Kathleen moved from the controls and she motioned to Luke. He moved forward and sat down in the pilot's seat.

The phantom moved up and off. Maria linked up with the phantom's controls and made sure they were on the right course. "What can you tell us about this thing that we have to find?"

"I don't really know much about them. I'm not familiar with WHITE GLOVE. I do not have the protocol that is used for this base. I will know more when we find these terminals." Maria did not sound at all pleased with the lack of information.

"Luke, head to Flight base first." The base was the closest target they had and would likely be the easiest to deal with as well. They needed to get an idea of what their targets were and how to deal with them before they moved on to the harder bases.

The phantom moved easily over the land and came to a stop above the landing pad of Flight Base. The ODSS moved to the side of the phantom and Luke set the ship down opening up the side hatches. "Move out!" Kathleen took off toward the base with her soldiers close behind. Her eyes darted over the area ahead of them looking for any sign of enemies. There seemed to be no movement, which was odd. The Covenant would have attacked all bases, so their absence was suspicious.

The marines moved through the base, oddly finding no one inside. "Sergeant, I do have new information for you." Maria sounded uneasy.

"Can it wait? We need to focus on finding this terminal." Kathleen turned down a hallway and found that it forked off. She made a snap decision and turned to the right.

"There are Spartans on the planet." Maria was blunt, going right to the point. "Almost all remaining Spartans have been deployed to the planet. My sensors show that as of 0631 their pelican and escort were shot down. There has been radio chatter from them, though. I am not sure how many have survived."

"I'll keep an eye out for them, but unless they are nearby, don't bother me with this again." Kathleen stopped at what looked to be a heavily sealed door. "Think this is it?"

Maria was silent. "This looks to be the right place. Give me a second to open the door." The locks on the door slid back and slowly the heavy slab of metal slid out of the way. Kathleen raised her gun, but the room was empty. The only object in the room was a simple terminal.

Kathleen moved over to the terminal and looked down at it. "So what do we do?" The screen was blank and there were no instructions.

"Put me in, maybe I can figure something out." Maria transferred herself into the data matrix and Kathleen transferred her over to the terminal. The AI was silent and the chip popped back out. Kathleen took it and put it back into her suit. "I couldn't find anything. Maybe this isn't what we are looking for."

Kathleen shifted a bit and nodded. "All right, marines, split up into groups of two and head out. I want you to find whatever the hell it is that we are looking for." The soldiers ran off in pairs through the structure. Max stayed behind and followed Kathleen as she moved through the base. They couldn't find any sign of anything that seemed to be a failsafe. Kathleen stopped after five minutes of searching. There was a large explosion nearby, causing her to stop. "Maria, what was that?"

"Seems to have been a cruiser being destroyed near the planet. It appears from the radio chatter that it was Spartans." Maria frowned. "Sergeant, I think I might have found what we are looking for."

"What are we looking for?" Kathleen looked around trying to figure out what the AI might have been referring to.

"There's an AI in the base's system. Very basic structure, almost too basic. I believe that he is what needs to be activated, or terminated, to allow WHITE GLOVE to be activated." Maria's voice was quiet, as though afraid the other AI would overhear her.

Kathleen moved over to the head terminal and tapped the controls activating it. "How do I communicate with the AI?"

She didn't need help as the AI spoke first. The text was carefully worded, the mark of an AI. She didn't recognize the name of the AI.

**[Wisdom]Welcome to ONI Flight Base.**

Kathleen stared at the words and carefully typed her reply.

**[SGT.S113] Requesting activation of the WHITE GLOVE protocol.**

**[Wisdom]…Very well then. Keeping the data and equipment of these facilities is too great a risk. Activating protocol WHITE GLOVE.**

The screen went black and Kathleen looked over at Max, who shrugged. She looked back to the screen and saw only a simple animation on it. It showed an elegant white glove waving at them. "All right, I think we are done here. We need to move on to the next target."

"Sergeant, I've got two Covenant phantoms inbound. They're firing on our phantom." Maria's words were hurried and panicked. "Severe damage done to the phantom… Phantom is down. Hope you had a backup plan."

Kathleen brought up the schematics of the base and frowned. While searching for this Wisdom AI they had seen at least five rooms that weren't marked on the layout. "We'll just have to run our way to the next target. We don't have the time to be standing around here." Kathleen opened her team COM. "ODSS, head to the nav marker. We're going to have to hoof it from here." Kathleen set a nav marker at the chosen exit and took off down a hallway with Max trailing her.

The marines gathered at the exit and took stock of what they found. Kathleen was surprised to find that Matthew and James had stumbled upon a weapons locker filled with DMRs and plenty of ammunition. Although she hated the idea of leaving them behind, her team swapped out their SMGs for the more precise rifles. It felt odd to hold a weapon that was considered army only.

"All right, marines. We're heading to Liberty base next. If we run it we should make it there in thirty minutes, though we'll most likely have to deal with Covenant which will slow us considerably. Be ready for anything to get in our way. I'm taking point." Kathleen turned and nodded to Matthew. He tapped the control panel and the heavy doors slid apart. There were five grunts on the other side of the door. There were five fast shots and the grunts fell by headshots.

"Don't fall behind." Kathleen took off at into the jungle heading toward their next target. She easily moved over the very familiar ground. She had trained her troops here, they had fought with no weapons and no supplies against all odds that Gunnery Saran could throw at them, even live rounds. They'd made it several miles with no Covenant activity before Kathleen halted them.

She moved slowly forward toward what appeared to be a crashed banshee. She could distinctly see the foot of what appeared to be the pilot. Kathleen motioned to Edward and Emily. Emily moved a bit around to move up on the other side of the banshee. Edward moved up against the banshee and gripped the side of the cockpit. Emily moved up on the other side and as one they lifted up the metal.

Kathleen raised her rifle but didn't fire. She lowered her DMR and stared at the MJOLNIR armor. She pulled the Spartan out of the pod and set him down in the open area. "Maria, give me a status on him." She looked down at the armor and ran a hand over the 029 painted on the chest of his armor.

"He's badly injured. Plasma burns over 60% of his body, broken tibia, four broken ribs, his liver is badly damaged, and he has a concussion." Kathleen could hear the regret in Maria's voice. Kathleen removed her helmet and ran a hand through her recently cut hair.

The figure shifted and turned to look up at Kathleen. He was silent for a moment before he laughed slightly, stopping only to flinch at the pain of the action. "I thought that when you die the pain is supposed to stop."

"You aren't dead, Joshua." Kathleen frowned at him. "You just crashed the hell out of a banshee. Can you stand?"

Joshua struggled and stood up. "Yeah, I think that I'm good to go. So then what is the plan?"

"We're going to Liberty Base. We have to deactivate this series of AI that will allow the WHITE GLOVE protocol to be activated." Kathleen held out her M6C to the other Spartan. "You can use this for now." Joshua took the pistol and nodded.

There was a large explosion and Kathleen stood, staring down at the Spartan beside her. "Sergeant, Facility A-331 has been destroyed. The MAC guns are offline. We need to hurry." Maria sounded panicked, her words coming in a hurry.

"Was that where they were?" Kathleen's words were ice in the air. Joshua nodded his head and looked away from her. Kathleen turned to look at her troops and nodded toward Liberty base. "Let's get moving." She took off at a full run not daring to look back. She hated not going to try to help her friends but she had a mission to complete. She couldn't afford to stray from her mission. Her team was silent, allowing her a moment of quiet to honor her fallen friends. In one instance she had lost what remained of her former friends. They would join Sheila, in the peace of death. Though she knew their souls wouldn't truly be at rest until the war had ended. None of them would rest until the war was over.


	20. Liberty base

930 HOURS, AUGUST 30, 2552(MILITARY CALENDAR)

The soldiers moved through the forest with ease. Kathleen was glad to know that Joshua was able to keep up with them. They were silent several minutes before Joshua opened a private COM channel with Kathleen.

"So I don't get an explanation? No reason why you're alive, or working with ODSTs?" Joshua's voice was serious and flat.

"Sorry, classified. You do remember what classified means, right? It means you don't get to know." Kathleen easily leapt over a rather large tree that had fallen in their path.

Joshua was silent, watching as Kathleen's soldiers moved across the ground, between the trees, and easily jumped over obstacles. "You trained these soldiers?" His voice held a hint of surprise at the fact. "I never took you for a leader."

"Hey, I led that team and we got the damn flag. Mendez never said anything about not blowing up the warthogs, or about shooting the words 'suck it' into the side of the building. The fact that we had the time to do that should have given me higher marks, not lower." Kathleen was still rather annoyed by that whole situation. She'd done just fine, made a great plan and her team had carried it out perfectly. She still wasn't sure what she had done to make them see it as failing as a leader.

"I didn't say you couldn't succeed as a leader, just that I never thought you'd be one." Joshua moved a bit away from her to avoid the wrath of the Sergeant.

Kathleen skidded to a halt and held up a fist. Her team came to a halt as well and darted into cover. Kathleen moved to the top of the hill and looked down into the valley below. Joshua moved up beside her, keeping low.

Down below, Covenant troops were gathered outside of the target base. There was very little of Liberty base that was actually visible. The research facility had been dug into the side of the valley. The only real sign that there was a base there at all was a set of bulkhead doors that were currently being swarmed by the Covenant troops that were crammed onto the landing pad. The landing pad, just large enough for two pelicans to land on, was covered in grunts and jackals, moving around under the leadership of several silver-armored elites.

"What's the plan, Petty Officer?" Joshua stared at Kathleen, waiting for her reply.

Kathleen tilted her head to the side to show her confusion. "I don't know, we'll have to find a Petty Officer and ask him or her."

Tobias and Tym moved up on Kathleen's side opposite Joshua. "So what's the plan, Sarge?" Tobias glanced down at the landing pad. "Damn, only a couple elites. Those guys are the only ones that are actually fun to fight."

"See how many rockets we have left, and find out if Peter has any of those special rounds of his." Tobias and Tym moved off to do as Kathleen had ordered. She turned back to staring down at the gathered Covenant. She felt like someone was watching her and turned, glaring at Joshua. "What?"

"You went Marine on us?" Joshua's voice held a hint of hurt to it. Kathleen cursed that she couldn't see behind the reflective faceplate. She had spent too much time away from the Spartans and couldn't read him anymore. Sure, she could tell him from his movements but she was no longer sure about how serious that hurt she heard was.

"Classified, can't tell you. I suppose I can inform you that I am a First Sergeant. Your tag says you're a Petty Officer, second class. That means that I outrank you. Now stop asking questions of the soldier in charge."

Joshua was silent for a moment, staring at Kathleen as she looked back down at the base. "You really can't tell me anything? Can't explain how one of my old Spartan friends who I thought died way back during the augmentations is still alive?"

Kathleen took a deep calming breath. "No, I can't tell you anything, Joshua. I thought I told you to stop asking questions." Kathleen ignored the continued stare and turned to Tobias as he moved back over to her side.

"We've got two rockets left and Peter has two clips of those special rounds." Tobias glanced down at his DMR then down at the Covenant. "So what's the plan?"

"Tell Peter to get to a spot where he can snipe those elites." Kathleen brought up a map of the terrain below them. She marked six points around the base and sent the image through the team link so they could all see it. "Teams of two. James, you've got the rockets, I want you in the center position. Once the elites are down, I want those grunts going up in smoke." James flashed a green acknowledge light. "Choose a spot and wait for my signal."

She turned to Joshua. "You're with me." The Spartan nodded and they moved off. Kathleen chose one of the locations she'd picked out, a bit away from the landing pad. She would have liked to get closer but she didn't want to risk Joshua's health more then she already was by letting him join them.

Kathleen waited for several minutes before she flashed a green light to Peter. Four rounds shot through the air, piercing the skulls of the leader aliens. The bodies had only fallen halfway when two rockets impacted the landing pad, catching jackals on their unprotected backs and engulfing grunts in two balls of fire.

"Fire at will," Kathleen ordered. As the grunts went running from the smoke, they fell, one by one, as single rounds from the DMRs tore through the small alien skulls. The smoke dissipated and Kathleen stood up, moving out of her cover. "Maria, open the doors." Kathleen walked across the landing pad, moving between the burnt corpses and charred metal. Yellow dots formed up behind her on her motion tracker as her team moved up and around the landing pad to keep watch.

Kathleen moved up to the metal doors and ran a hand lightly over the part of the door that had been cut through with a plasma welder. "Just a moment, Sergeant." Maria was silent for a second and the doors slid open.

Kathleen did a quick sweep of the doorway but saw nothing. "All right, Marines. We're looking for the second AI. Check every terminal and find it. James, you're to watch the door. Everyone else, duos." Kathleen nodded to Joshua and moved into the base.

The soldiers split up, moving through the base. Kathleen checked empty rooms, barracks, laboratories, all of them lacking the essential AI she was looking for. Kathleen paused outside of a room filled with computer terminals. "You take the right, I'll take the left."

The Spartans split up, moving to each side of the room. Kathleen glanced over the screen, looking for any working terminal. They all looked to be wiped clean, most likely due to the enacting of the Cole Protocol. She paused before one of the terminals that was splattered with red blood. Kathleen looked around the room but couldn't find a source of the splatter. There were no bodies, no foot prints or blood trail that would indicate a person limping away. She thought she saw a bit of movement but there was nothing on her motion tracker and she could see nothing. Something still felt off to her, though she guessed it might have just been her imagination. Reach was being invaded; she was on edge.

"I think I found it," Joshua announced, waving Kathleen over to him. She moved over to his side and looked down at the terminal. The screen was black except for a single line of white text.

**[Justice] Criminals must be removed from this world.**

Kathleen hesitated for a moment before typing in a reply.

[S113]Requesting initiation of WHITE GLOVE protocol.

**[Justice] To lose the knowledge that is stored here would be a great injustice, but not as much so as if they got their hands on that information and used it to kill all humanity…May God have mercy on our souls…WHITE GLOVE protocol initiated.**

The screen went black and the image of an ancient set of scales appeared, tipped to one side. A white glove lay on the heavy side and a single point of light on the lighter side. Kathleen frowned at it. Why did AIs have to be so weird sometimes?

She felt movement rather than saw it or even got a contact on her motion tracker. Kathleen spun around and found herself face to face with a shimmer of active camouflage and a blazing energy sword slashing toward her. A force struck her in the side, sending her falling to the ground. A weight settled on her but she moved it out of the way. Kathleen grabbed her DMR and turned, firing at the elite. It backed up as the rounds pinged off of its shield. The silver film that covered the alien flickered and went out. Kathleen unloaded the rest of her clip into the alien and it collapsed to the floor.

Kathleen keyed her team COM. "Stealth elites in the facility, watch yourselves." Green lights flashed and Kathleen turned her attention to Joshua. The Spartan was kneeling on the ground, clutching his stomach. Blood oozed out from the wound.

"Guess he got me pretty good." Joshua shifted to lean up against a terminal. His voice was strained. He reached up, removing his helmet, letting it fall to the ground. He reached up with his free hand and wiped the blood from his mouth.

Kathleen knelt beside him, glancing down at the wound. "Don't worry, Joshua. We'll get you help."

Joshua shook his head. "No, you won't. Face it, Kathleen. The orbital guns are down, Reach will fall. That's why you have to find the last AI. You don't have time to wait around for medical for me." His blue eyes stared up at her.

"I don't think you understand, Joshua. I don't leave my soldiers behind, ever." Kathleen stared right back, not willing to back down.

"I'm not one of your soldiers." Kathleen flinched at Joshua's words. He was right; they weren't on the same team anymore. He wasn't under her command. He reached out and gripped her hand. "Kathleen, humanity will need every Spartan they can get. Your team needs you." There was a pause before he spoke again. "The ground forces may be gone, but there was another team. John took Linda and James up into orbit for a zero-G op. I don't know if they made it out alive. Kathleen, for all I know you're the last Spartan we have. You and your soldiers have to make it out alive." He suddenly pushed her away with as much force as he could. It caused her to take several steps back. "Go."

Kathleen hesitated for a moment, but knew he was right. She wanted to stay, be there for him in his last minutes, but she couldn't; she had a mission. Kathleen turned and ran out of the room. If she didn't force herself to leave now, she would stay. "ODSS, meet at the main door. We're moving out." Kathleen ran all the way to the heavy metal doors, clenching her fists. Joshua may not have been one of her solders, but he was her friend. It felt wrong to be leaving him behind.

The Marines gathered a few minutes later at the door. "Hey, Sarge, where's that Spartan?" Max looked around then at Kathleen. She looked away, unable to admit that they were leaving him behind. "Oh, sorry, ma'am."

"No time for that. We have to get moving. Maria, what's the last location?" Kathleen pushed the thoughts of her childhood friend to the back of her mind. She would deal with her grief later.

"The last location is a base seven miles west of here called CRAFTER Base," Maria answered. "I have a pelican inbound. ETA is two minutes."

"Understood, Maria. James, open the door. Peter, Luke, Max, David, and I are on guard duty. Matthew and Luke will be in charge of making sure that no stealth elites sneak up on us. Everyone else is on clean-up. I want a landing pad cleared for our pelican."

The marines nodded and James opened the door. They swept the area and moved out to surround the landing pad. Kathleen knelt and stared out, looking for any sign of enemies. She paused, glancing up toward the space battle above. She wondered if the trio of Spartans that had gone on the space op had made it out alive. If they hadn't, then she was the last Spartan left.

A part of her was saddened by the thought of them all being dead, but another part of her didn't care. They weren't her team anymore. Even when Joshua had been around, things had been different. She'd felt uneasy with him around. It hadn't been because they were breaking orders; they'd done that plenty of times in the past. He had been a reminder of what she had once been, what she wasn't any more, and the one thing that cast the shadow that often made people look down on her soldiers.

She glanced over her shoulder at the soldiers who were moving the bodies out of the way. They pushed them to the side and created a barrier between the cleared area and the doors to the base. She allowed herself a smile, sure that it was hidden behind her visor. They'd done the most strategic thing: Created a barrier to slow down any elites that might try to follow them, using the dead bodies. They'd thought beyond her orders. She was proud of it, not that she would ever let them know that. Being nice was never part of her training plan.

She turned back to look out at the forest, leaving her team to their task. Her mind wandered to when she had first met Joshua. She'd met him the first time when their three-man teams had been changed and she, Fred, and Will became part of what were made into fireteams. They had been made into fireteam Romeo. She hadn't really been willing to accept him into the team. Her two friends were more than she had ever really wanted.


	21. Fireteam Romeo

Kathleen pushed Joshua back, causing him to fall to the ground. Fred grabbed Kathleen, pulling her away. "Kathleen, stop, that's an order."

"Since when do I take orders from you?" Kathleen struck, out hitting Fred. He took a step back, rubbing his chest.

"What is her problem?" Joshua asked, scrambling back up to his feet. He turned to look at Will. "Does she often attack her teammates?"

"All the time." Will smiled and chuckled at his own words. "You get used to it. Now, though, would be a good time to remember to never call her by any name other than Kathleen."

Joshua dusted off his pants. "I can't believe you let her push you around like that. Isn't Fred the leader of your team?"

"Well, lead is a loose word for what I do. You can't really lead that thing." Fred motioned toward Kathleen, earning him a kick to the shin. "Ow, kicking, that's new."

"Can we just get back to our mission? We have to take out our target before the time limit is up." Will put an arm around Kathleen's shoulder. "Come on, I'm sure there will be people there that you can hit."

Kathleen contemplating hitting Will for the comment but decided against it. "Fine." She turned and marched off toward their target. Fred raced ahead to take the lead. He glared back at Kathleen, annoyed that she was trying to usurp his authority as their leader. Kathleen stuck her tongue out at him.

The fireteam made their way through the forest to their target. Kathleen stared down at the tall radio tower that was their target. The tower wasn't in actual use, but was attached to a system that would alert the DIs when it was destroyed.

Fred made a few hand signals, ordering a perimeter sweep. He motioned to Kathleen, Joshua, and then to the right. Kathleen hit him in the arm and shot him a dirty look. Fred glared back at her and after a moment Kathleen looked away. He was the assigned leader, after all.

Kathleen moved off through the woods, checking for any sign of instructors or traps. Joshua trailed behind her, watching their six. Kathleen stopped them halfway along their path. Joshua moved up behind her, searching the area.

"Why did we stop?" Joshua fidgeted, hand moving to his waist as though he would find some kind of weapon there. The problem was they hadn't been given anything. They only had their basic PT gear.

"Something's wrong." Kathleen looked over the forest, trying to figure out what it was that was off. She couldn't place her finger on it. An odd sound was in the air. Kathleen pushed Joshua away from her and leapt back, just in time to avoid the DI who had jumped down from the tree above.

Kathleen cursed. She hadn't thought about an attack from above. She rolled to her feet just in time to see the DI raise his baton, sparks flying from the tip. A rock hit the instructor from behind and Joshua crouched, hand searching the ground for a new weapon. The instructor turned and Kathleen pounced. Her fist contacted with the man's side, followed swiftly by an elbow smashing into his nose. The instructor flinched back and Kathleen turned, her foot striking out and connecting with the man's stomach, sending him flying back.

Kathleen stood at the ready, but the man didn't move. She approached him slowly, checking to be sure that he was unconscious. As she checked him over and searched him for a radio, a second figure appeared. It swung its baton at the unaware Kathleen. Joshua moved in the way and the baton smacked him in the side of the head. He fell to the ground, temporarily paralyzed. Kathleen snapped to action, grabbing the fallen baton from the first instructor and turning around, swinging with all her might. Sparks flew and the baton connected with the second instructor's chest. He fell to the ground and Kathleen jumped on him, hitting him several more times with her weapon before he was knocked out.

Kathleen took his baton and moved over to Joshua. She crouched beside him, checking around her to be sure she wasn't caught unprepared again. Joshua stirred and slowly stood up. "You all right?"

Joshua flexed his fingers and shifted his limbs before nodding his head. "Yeah, I'm good to go. Just going to have a bump from that hit probably." Kathleen hit him on the arm lightly. "What did I do this time?"

Kathleen shook her head and sighed. "That wasn't an angry hit. It was a 'thanks for having my back' hit." She stared to move through the forest again. "You'll learn the difference, teammate."

Joshua smiled as she called him her teammate. He hurried and caught up with her. They met up with Fred and Will, who had also had a run-in with a pair of instructors. Will had some dirt on his face and Fred had a scratch on his forehead. They made a full assault on the tower, running into only five more instructors before they placed the EMP charge and set it off. The charge would fry the network of the radio tower, officially tagging it as destroyed.

The fireteam sprinted from their target, looking to get out of the area before the instructors showed up and gave them hell for managing to destroy the tower. They spent the rest of the day making their way through the forest, back toward base. They dodged patrols and spent a bit of time exploring areas they hadn't been to before so they would be more familiar with it in the future.

The team took a short break in a cave that they would often use in the future as a fallback point or hiding spot from instructors. Kathleen sat on a rock, leaning back against the cold stone wall. Will and Joshua were standing guard at the entrance, keeping an eye out for patrols. Fred sat down beside Kathleen and looked at the pair on watch. "So what do you think of Joshua?"

Kathleen looked at Fred, grabbing his chin and turning it so she could look at his scratch. "Well, he wouldn't be stupid enough to get himself an injury like that on such a simple task."

Fred pulled her hand away from his face. He reached up, touching where the scratch was starting to heal. "I take it that means that you've changed your opinion." He turned away from her, arms crossed over his chest.

Kathleen shrugged. "I don't think we need another soldier. You and Will are more than enough. But it is nice having someone to watch my back while I'm busy watching the backs of you two."

"I watch your back. Though I have to admit that I like having an even number. It means we can split up into smaller groups and no one is left all on their own." Fred glanced over at Kathleen. She had usually been the one that was sent for tasks all on her own.

"At least now I have someone to throw to the instructors to keep them busy while I get my job done." Kathleen smirked but it fell from her face and Fred scowled at her. "I was just kidding."

From that point on, Joshua was a part of the team—a valuable part. He proved to be skilled with just about anything. He could drive any vehicle, made a great sniper, was perfect for helping with demolition jobs, and an admirable fighter in close combat. In the end it would be why fireteam Romeo would get a reputation for beating up instructors. They excelled in unarmed missions, putting some of their fellow trainees to shame in their hand-to-hand combat simulations.

#

Kathleen snapped herself back to the present, to the current mission. The pelican shifted direction and decelerated as they reached the final base. CRAFTER base was designed to only be accessible by the air. The pelican swung around landing on the middle landing pad.

"Sergeant, I have five phantoms inbound," Maria announced.

"Understood, Maria." Kathleen moved to the pilot. "All right, we're heading inside. I want you to take this bird and move due south of here. We'll call you when we need pick up."

The pilot nodded. "Understood, ma'am. I'll be standing by."

Kathleen nodded back and moved to the rear of the ship. She grabbed her DMR. "All right, marines. Move out." The ODSS sprinted out of the ship toward the base. The doors slid open for them as they approached. Rifles swept the hallways as they moved inside. Kathleen spotted the pelican rising up and moving off before the doors shut.

The soldiers started to move through the base, searching for computers. After several minutes Peter found the target AI. Kathleen stood before the pedestal, frowning at the screen.

**[Love]: Welcome to CRAFTER BASE**

[Sgt. 113]: Requesting activation of protocol WHITE GLOVE

**[Love]: That would be ill-advised. I do not think I can do as requested.**

Kathleen frowned at the screen. "What is going on?"

"It seems that this AI is reluctant to terminate itself." Maria sounded as annoyed as Kathleen. "Plug me in and I'll talk to it." Kathleen pulled the data chip out of her helmet and slipped it into the machine. Maria's image showed up on the screen. "This might take a while." The image scowled. "We don't have time for this crap."

"Never heard you use that kind of language." Kathleen motioned to Max and David. "Make a sweep through the base, look for Covies or any weapons we can use. If you find enemies, then just alert us before you do something stupid and try to fight them."

The two marines ran off to do as they'd been ordered. "Everyone else, defensive positions. We have five phantoms coming in full of aliens and we need to keep them at bay until Maria can destroy this thing." The others nodded and ran off to set things up.

Kathleen turned back to the computer. "How long will you need?"

"Hard to say. This AI is locked away so I can't forcefully destroy it. I don't understand why it is denying the protocol."

"Can you give me an estimate?" Kathleen glanced over her shoulder as something hit the ground. Her soldiers must be making cover.

Maria scowled. "At least fifteen minutes, maybe a half an hour."

Kathleen cursed to herself. "We'll give you the time, but try to make it closer to fifteen than thirty." Kathleen turned and moved off to join her soldiers. They had toppled cabinets and moved them into defensive positions. The marines took up positions behind the cabinets, waiting for the covenant.

Max and David returned. They bore Assault rifles, ammunition, grenades, and several Spartan lasers. Kathleen made sure that every soldier got an assault rifle and a handful of clips for them. She gave the Spartan lasers to Tobias, James, Tym, and Edward. They settled in to wait for the aliens to attack.

Kat watched the door, and the scene was familiar. The ODSS had guarded many places before, kept civilians safe long enough for the Spartans to get in the city. When the ODSS would leave, the Spartans would move in and find the survivors. It reminded her of all those times, but also all the times where fireteam Romeo had captured a location and defended it from the DIs. It reminded her of all the training exercises the ODSS had done, though they'd never had weapons in those situations.

Kathleen settled in beside her soldiers. She slung her Spartan laser over her shoulder, and raised her rifle, ready for whatever would come through the doors.


	22. Reach

The ODSS sat in waiting for nearly half an hour before the Covenant finally made their move. Why it took so long none of them were sure. The door slid back and twenty grunts ran through the doors. Bullets flew through the air and took out the grunts, though not before they let out a wave of plasma shots, scorching the walls and floors. The marines set themselves up for the next wave, likely jackals. If there were at all smart they would have their shields overlapped.

The door slid open again and Kathleen eyed the wall of shimmering shields. It usually took at least one wave of unorganized jackals for them to think of their wall strategy. In all likelihood whatever elite or brute that was in command of the jackals—likely an elite—had been through more than its fair share of battles. What Kathleen didn't expect was the hail of plasma grenades that flew up, over the jackals. They had a line of grunts behind them that were lobbing the sticky explosives.

"Back up!" Kathleen turned and ran back, out of range of the plasma grenades. She ducked into a room and heard a long series of explosions echo through the hall. "Status?" Twelve green lights flashed on her HUD. None of her team had been hit. "Fall back to better positions. Don't let them get to the data room and Maria." The lights flashed again and Kathleen inched to the doorway. She peeked out into the hallway where a group of three jackals, shields overlapped, were creeping toward them.

"I got them, Sarge." James moved out of a doorway and fired a weapon. A grenade bounced forward and landed at the base of the shields. The jackals stopped, but the grenade didn't go off. They slowly moved forward again, past the failed explosive. "Wait for it." Kathleen glanced down the hall to where James was hidden in a doorway. She frowned as she noticed his finger was still pulling the trigger down. When the jackals had fully passed the grenade he released it, triggering the grenade to explode. Fire tore through the line of grunts and sent shrapnel into the backs of the jackals.

Several of the bird-like aliens fell, but three stumbled forward, having sustained only minor injuries. Kathleen raised her rifle and a shot found its mark, hitting the skull of one of the jackals. The others fell as shots tore through their heads and throats.

Kathleen moved back into the room. "Split into fire teams. Go guerrilla-style attacks on them. Keep them away from Maria long enough for her to get the job done. Report any elites, hunters, or brutes." Green lights flashed on her HUD. Kathleen moved to the doorway and glanced back at Edward, Emily, and Max behind her, ready to go.

Kathleen motioned to Emily and Edward, then pointed across the hallway to another room. Kathleen caught a bit of motion as James and Matthew moved back, deeper into the base with Tobias and Patrick. Kathleen crouched in the doorway, Max at her side. Kathleen heard the bird screeches of jackals, but something was different about them. A thin creature ran past her doorway and skidded to a halt, turning around to look back at her.

Kathleen fired once and the round tore through the skirmisher's throat. It fell to the ground and three more of the slim figures ran past it. Kathleen had drilled into her soldiers how best to handle each species among the Covenant, but they had not often met skirmishers in combat. The sleek, nimble jackal cousins were always a problem when they did meet them. Two shots rang out and one hit a skirmisher in the leg, causing it to stumble as the second pierced the back of its skull, spraying brains and bones out.

The remaining two continued to run forward and Kathleen flashed an amber light to Tobias to warn him. She turned as another screech sounded. An overcharged plasma shot hit her shield and she dove for cover. Max fired with his magnum and the round hit the alien in the chest. It stumbled back and the butt of Edward's DMR struck its skull. The limp body went flying and hit the opposite wall.

The three remaining skirmishers darted into the rooms that the marines occupied. Max fired at the two skirmishers that were in the room with him and Kathleen. They darted back and forward and he barely shot the arm of one of them, giving him the opening to place a second shot in the alien's head.

The second skirmisher turned toward Max, leaving its back open. Kathleen pulled out her knife and grabbed the feathered head of the bird-like alien. She pulled it back and stabbed her knife up, into the alien's skull. She yanked out the blade and tossed the slim, light-weight alien to the side. Max moved back to the doorway, slipping out the clip in his magnum. Kathleen stayed back in the room until the charge bar of her energy shield refilled.

" _Hunter pair in the base. They split up, one heading your way,"_ Tym shouted over the COM.

"Spartan lasers at the ready. Edward, double shot." Kathleen switched to her laser and eased to the doorway. She zoomed in and waited. The floor shook under them as the monstrous feet of the hunters stormed toward them. Kathleen froze when she spotted the hunter. It wasn't like any hunter that had been recorded. The monstrous alien's armor was a burning gold with a series of red symbols all over it. The shield it carried was thicker and larger than any she had ever seen.

Kathleen couldn't hesitate. She hit the trigger of her laser and it started to charge. A second red dot appeared on the hunter as Edward charged his own laser. Kathleen flinched as the thick red beam shot forth from her weapon. It struck the hunter and less than a second later the second beam hit it. Kathleen flashed an amber light twice and peered down the hall. All she saw was burning and partially melted metal. Something was wrong. The metal shifted and the armored head of the hunter appeared.

"Damn, it's survived." Edward aimed his laser and Kathleen did the same. They fired off another set of lasers and it hit the shield once more. Green energy streaked down the hallway as the hunter fired. "What does it take to kill this thing?"

"I don't know, but we are going to find out." Kathleen moved back out into the hallway enough to let off another shot. She ducked back as she waited for her laser to cool down. Edward fired his third shot and she heard him curse again. "One more shot." Kathleen glanced across the hallway to Edward and nodded. Edward returned the nod. Kathleen started to charge her laser and, just before it went off, stepped out into the hallway at the same time as Edward. The beams hit the hunter and it flinched back.

The hunter released its shield and the melted metal hit the ground, glowing a bright red. The hunter roared and Kathleen sighed. It still wasn't dead. "Red Team, go back up Green team. It will take all the lasers you've got in order to kill the hunter that's attacking them."

A green light flashed and she got a flicker on her motion tracker as the remaining marines ran off through the base to join their other teammates. Edward moved back into his room and Emily replaced him in the hallway. She started to fire at the exposed orange stomach of the alien. It charged forward and she was forced back. Kathleen and Max stepped out into the hallway. Kathleen slammed her hand into Max's chest and sent him back into the room they'd just exited. The hunter was less than a foot away from her. It raised up its now unshielded arm and swung at her. Kathleen ducked down and the blow was close enough that her energy shield flickered and drained to a quarter charge.

The hunter roared in anger as something struck it in the side. Edward sliced with his blade, cutting the orange eels that made up its body. The hunter took a step away from him and Emily ran off down the hallway. Kathleen didn't take the time to figure out why. She grabbed Edward and pulled him back into the room and away from the hunter. The tank-like creature turned and raised its gun.

Bright green energy splashed over the hunter's side and it stumbled back as Emily opened fire with a fuel rod gun. It turned to fire on her and Max fired. The hunter flinched as the shots struck it. The hunter ignored Max, charging its gun to fire at Emily. Emily cursed and dropped the smoking fuel rod gun. Edward ran forward and jumped up on the hunter's back. His hands reached down into the hunter's armor and pulled at the eels, ripping and tearing them apart. The hunter wailed in pain and flailed a bit until it finally collapsed to the ground. Edward was flung from its back, hitting the floor. Emily ran forward and to his side. She knelt down and helped him sit up. Edward shook his head to clear it.

"Elites!" Max raised his weapon and fired down the hallway. Emily helped Edward to his feet and pulled him back down the hallway. Three elites darted down the hallway, faster than Kathleen had ever seen. Two broke off and ran toward the three marines while the final one charged at Kathleen. She had only a second to identify it as a Zealot class elite. It snapped its arm out and an energy blade flared to life.

Kathleen grabbed her knife and readied herself. The elite swung and Kathleen ducked down. It swung for a second strike but Kathleen grabbed its wrist. The two struggled as Kathleen fought to keep the blade from her body. The elite forced the glowing blade up. It neared Kathleen's face and she gritted her teeth. The blade made her energy shield shimmer and it slowly drained to nothing. The blade drew closer, starting to cut through the reflective faceplate of her helmet. Her HUD flickered and she felt a wave of panic. She made a desperate move and ducked back, catching the elite by surprise. She drew her head as far away from the elite as she could and fell onto her back, using her foot to force the elite up and propelling it over her head. It hit the ground several feet from her and rolled into a crouch.

Kathleen moved to her feet and stood up. The elite charged forward and she shook her head, trying to clear it. Her HUD was dark. She tore off the helmet and tossed it to the side so that she could see. She was met by the sight of the zealot only inches away. A force hit her chest as the elite struck out with its foot. Her back hit the wall and she landed on one knee. The elite's hand gripped her neck and it lifted her up. Its mandibles spread in an alien smile. Kathleen glared at the elite and kicked out. Her foot met its chest and it released her. She landed on her feet in a crouch. She stabbed up and her knife hit the lower left mandible, slicing through it. The quarter jaw flew through the air and hit the ground as the blade continued on, slicing along the elite's elongated head.

The elite roared in anger and swung its blade. The weapon stuck Kathleen in the chest, cutting from her right shoulder to her left hip. Kathleen's back hit the wall and her hand went to her chest, trying to stop the blood. She hit the floor and struggled to breathe. Kathleen looked up at the Zealot. It raised its blade but stopped, taking a step back. The alien looked over its shoulder and shouted something in its language. To her surprise, the zealot turned and ran out of the room.

Kathleen lay on the ground, trying to fight off the pain that was spreading through her. She was losing energy fast. Max moved into the room and to her side. She looked up and saw the bit of blood dripping down his arm. There was an odd stiffness to the way that he moved. "Maria reported that the AI has been terminated." The words barely penetrated the fog in Kathleen's mind. She could barely hear the sounds of other voices and she guessed they had to have been Edward or Emily, but she couldn't tell.

Max placed a hand on her chest and said something but she couldn't hear it. Black slowly closed in on the edge of her vision. She struggled to fight it off but was swallowed by the darkness.


	23. Wake

Kathleen sat in the cave, staring at the rock wall. She couldn't feel anything and she was cursing herself. She should have been able to beat that elite. She still didn't understand why it didn't finish her off when it could have. For all she knew, it _had_ killed her. She'd been sitting in this cave for a while, though she had no idea how long. There was no way to tell what time it was or the passing of time. She glanced to her right and her left. Light filtered in from both ends of the cave. She didn't remember that from when they were trainees. She wasn't even sure why she was sitting in this cave. It was the same one she'd used with her team during their training to hide or rest. The instructors had never found it.

"Why are you just sitting there?" Kathleen looked up at the source of the voice. Fred was standing beside her. She frowned at the man. He wore Mark IV armor, the last armor she remembered seeing a picture of him in.

"I don't know. I don't know what I should be doing." Kathleen felt uneasy as she realized she wasn't wearing her armor. She wore the familiar camouflage pants and white shirt, though it was stained across her chest with blood where she'd been cut.

"You were never one to just sit around." Fred knelt down so he was more at eye level with her. "You must really be in trouble. How badly are you hurt?" His hand carefully reached out and his fingers ran over her right shoulder where the blood was.

"Elite got me. Slashed me open." Kathleen raised her hand, placing it on Fred's forearm. "It must have killed me, 'cause there's no other way you could be here unless I'm dead."

Fred shook his head. "That doesn't make sense. I was wearing Mark V armor when I was deployed to Reach, just like you. So then why am I wearing outdated armor?"

Kathleen frowned. She hated to admit it, but he was right. "Well, that was the last armor I saw a picture of you in. Likely you are just a hallucination in my mind caused by my injury."

"That seems to be a reasonable conclusion." Fred looked down at her hand on his arm. "But why are you hallucinating me?"

Kathleen thought about that for a moment. "Probably because you died on Reach. Maybe I just miss you and I just wanted to see you again, one last time." She shook her head. "That's not the only reason. Back in training you always had my back. When I got myself in over my head you were there to help me, to shout at me for making mistakes and getting hurt. I messed up and got myself hurt pretty bad. Guess I'm hallucinating you because I'm in over my head and want you to back me up."

"Don't see why you need us as back-up. Those marines of yours are pretty tough." Kathleen turned her head toward the voice. Joshua stood in his Mark V armor. "Seems like you don't need us anymore."

"I think we should be hurt. I mean, you go and replace us." Will shook his head, leaning against the wall in his Mark IV armor.

Kathleen shook her head. "I didn't replace you. You were dead, I was given soldiers. I made them as good as you, better even. You pale in comparison to the ODSS."

Fred chuckled. "Now that's the Kathleen I know." He pulled his hand away from her.

"There's no way that some marines are better than Spartans." Sheila crossed her arms over her chest. Her armor was just as charred and melted as Kathleen remembered.

"They are." Kathleen struggled to try to stand. Fred stood and held his hand out to her. Kathleen knocked it away and got to her feet. "They are better than any Spartan. Spartans have been dying on the battlefield since this war started, but not a single one of my soldiers is gone. I don't leave my teammates behind."

"They are better than any Spartan?" Sheila removed her helmet and Kathleen stared into her lifeless eyes. "Are they better then you?"

"Of course not. I'm the CO. I set the standard." Kathleen looked away from her. She couldn't look at those dull eyes.

"Well then, I guess you aren't a Spartan," Sheila snapped.

"I'm not a Spartan." The four Spartans stared at Kathleen and she looked around at them. "I'm not one of you. I haven't ever been one of you. When you were augmented you became Spartans, and I became an Orbital Drop Shock Spartan. I'm not even navy anymore."

"Kathleen." She turned to look at Fred. "Why are you fighting yourself?" Kathleen frowned at the question. "If we're hallucinations, then why are you fighting us? None of us would talk down about other soldiers just because they aren't Spartans. Why would Sheila talk like that?"

"Always a voice of logic." Kathleen looked away from him. "My soldiers are the best. And even though you're all gone, we will remain. We'll do whatever it takes to save humanity." She looked around at the gathered soldiers. "We will stop the Covenant, kill every last one of them if we have to."

Fred removed his helmet and grinned at Kathleen. His face was just as she had seen it the last time, in a news photo. Handsome with only a few marks of war. He moved to stand in front of her. "I think it's time you got going." He motioned toward the entrance to the cave. Kathleen glanced in the other direction and saw that there was nothing but darkness.

Kathleen looked back to Fred. "I miss you guys, I really do." She smiled a bit. "But you'd never be able to handle being an ODSS." Kathleen turned and walked out of the cave, leaving the Spartans behind. She stepped out and was blinded by the light, shutting her eyes tight to block it out.

Kathleen's eyes slowly opened. She blinked a few times to try to clear her head, but things felt fuzzy. She moved her head to each side and looked around, recognizing the room. She was in a medical room aboard a UNSC ship. She sat up and felt pain shoot through her chest. She ignored it for the most part.

Maria's avatar appeared and smiled at Kathleen. "Welcome back to the world of the awake."

"Maria, what happened?" Kathleen stood up, finding her legs a bit unsteady under her. "What happened to Reach?"

"Reach has fallen." The words were cold as Maria said them. Kathleen sat back down on the bed, feeling utterly defeated. "It is unclear exactly why, but after you were injured the zealot elites that attacked you withdrew and left. Your team then got an evac. You are now aboard the _Star Fall_."

"What of the Spartans?" Kathleen already knew the answer. She'd known since the reactor fell and Joshua had told her it was where the Spartans were.

"Unclear, though I am happy to report that all members of your team are alive." Maria frowned a bit. "Though a few of them are still going to be out of fighting for a little while. Hopefully they will be back in fighting condition by the time we reach Earth."

"What about my armor?" Kathleen stood up again and moved over to the holographic image. "I also need a complete list of the injuries of my team."

"Your armor was terribly damaged. The chest plate was cut in half and the face plate was damaged beyond repair. The new Mark VI armor is being prepared for you back at Earth." Maria paused for a moment while Kathleen moved to the dresser to the side and got dressed. "I will need somewhere to be able to give you that information unless you'd like it audibly."

Kathleen looked around and sighed. "I have a data-pad back in the barracks that you can load it into." Kathleen paused for a moment. "And I'm glad you made it out with us as well, Maria."

The AI nodded to. "Oh, one more thing, the Captain wanted to talk to you."

Kathleen nodded. "Please tell him that I'm on my way." Kathleen moved out of the room and started to walk through the hallways. She made her way to the bridge. She liked being on the _Star Fall_ ; the people here knew her and didn't stare like they did when she was on other ships. She stepped into the elevator and it rose up toward the bridge.

The doors opened and Kathleen stepped onto the bridge. She snapped a crisp salute to the Captain. "Reporting as ordered, sir." The officer returned the salute and motioned her toward him. Kathleen moved over to join him at the captain's chair. He was reading over the casualty and damage reports.

The Captain looked up from the screen, turning his full attention to the marine. "Sergeant, glad to see you up and moving again. Was a bit worried for a while there."

"I'm not that easy to get rid of, Sir." Kathleen fought the urge to ask to see the battle reports. She hated that she didn't have her HUD and the ability to freely check that information. For the first time she missed her armor.

"Well, sadly we have lost Reach, but your team has managed to stay alive. It seems that the higher ups saw what you did and have seen fit to give you a bit more power." Kathleen frowned in confusion and looked down as the Captain held something out to her. She stared down at the insignia. "Congratulations, Sergeant Major."

Kathleen took the patch and nodded. "Thank you, sir." The Captain saluted her and she returned the gesture.

"Go and get some rest, Sergeant. I know that your soldiers will be happy to see you up and moving." The Captain waved her off.

Kathleen nodded and moved off of the bridge. She took the elevator down to the lower levels. She made her way through the corridors to the barracks. The door opened and the ODSS moved to the foot of their cots, standing at attention. Kathleen noted that several of the soldiers moved slower than usual. The white of bandages peeked out from sleeves and collars on several of them, while on others they were stuck to cheeks and hands. They all snapped a salute and Kathleen returned it. Her hand moved back to her side and she made her way through the room to her cot. She stopped and looked down at her footlocker. Her Mark V helmet sat staring across the room. Kathleen reached down and picked it up, studying the cut in the face plate.

"The techs wanted to get rid of it. We thought you might want to keep it." Kathleen turned and Tobias smiled at her. "I mean if you don't want it I'll take it. It would make a great war trophy."

"Like hell I'm letting you keep it." Kathleen placed it back down on her foot locker. She then moved over to her cot and sat down. She looked around and realized that all of the soldiers were staring at her. There was a look in their eyes, one that she'd never seen before. They all looked shaken, lost. She took a deep breath. "I know you all want a pep talk or something, but I don't really have one for you. We lost Reach and are heading to Earth. We are the best chance that humanity has for surviving this war. We all know our duties, and we'll complete them no matter what. We will lay down our lives for all of humankind and we will stand to defend it. From this point on it's not going to get easier. I know that you all will fight bravely and honorably, and there is nothing more that I, or humanity, can ask of you. The Spartans are gone, so we cannot, and will not, fail."

Silence fell in the room and the marines looked down at the floor. "We're sorry, Sarge, about the Spartans." Tobias sat down on his cot. "We know that you were close with them."

Kathleen shook her head and lay down on her cot. "Don't apologize. All of my family made it off Reach." The mood seemed to lift in the room and the soldiers settled in for the long trip back to Earth.


	24. Mark VI

OCTOBER 13, 2552(MILITARY CALENDAR)

Kathleen stood on the platform like a statue as the tech suited her up. The head technician paced before her, rambling on about the improved motion tracker and shield recharger. Kathleen wasn't really listening. She was running through the last month's events in her mind.

Reach had fallen on August 30th. They hadn't come directly back to Earth as expected. Instead, they moved from planet to planet for a month, taking care of Insurrectionists and Covenant on some of the inner colonies.

What was disturbing was that the reports had come in that the _Pillar of Autumn_ had been lost somewhere and no contact had been made. That ship had been the only ship that had Spartans on it. This meant that Kathleen was the last of the Spartans. At least she'd thought she was until a few weeks ago. A UNSC ship had arrived announcing it had Spartans. Only four Spartans had made it back.

They had come back, with awful news. The Covenant knew where Earth was and were going to strike. Kathleen could feel the unease in the air. They knew that it was coming but she wasn't so sure that they would be able to beat them this time. She feared Earth would be another Reach. The only difference was there was nowhere else to run. They would stand and die trying to save humanity.

Her eyes traveled over to the group of three soldiers that were suiting up. The techs had repaired and made a few upgrades to her soldiers' armor. David joked while Peter and Luke suited up. She knew that her soldiers would be more than happy to stand, fight, and if need be, die for humanity.

"All done, ma'am. Go ahead and see how it feels." The technicians moved away, allowing Kathleen to move. She stepped down off of the platform and moved around a bit. "What do you think of it?"

Kathleen moved her arms and legs to get a feel. "Feels fine. Movements are fluid, almost feels like there's no armor at all." A man handed her a helmet and she looked down at the reflective plate. The new helmet, to her, looked better. She hadn't disliked the old one, but this one felt more sleek and round while the old one had felt sharp and angled. She slipped the helmet on and the HUD flickered to life. She eyed the motion tracker in the corner and noted the little yellow dots that showed her team and the technicians.

"Please step on this platform and we'll charge your energy shield." The man moved to a panel and watched as Kathleen moved over to the second platform.

Kathleen remained still as the winging arm to her side glowed gold and started to spin around her. Static crawled over her skin and the bar of her shield charged. There was a pop and the energy bar filled fully. Kathleen stepped down and looked over at her soldiers. They all flashed her a thumbs up sign.

"Ma'am, if you'll make your way to training ground B, I believe that a test has been set up for you and the new armor." The technician moved away quickly and the action made Kathleen uneasy.

She watched him hurry away and moved over to the trio of soldiers. "Head back to the barracks. I'll meet you all there later."

"Can we go to the training grounds?" Luke flashed a smile, hopeful.

"Keep to training grounds A and C if you must." Kathleen motioned them off and the marines moved away. Kathleen looked around the lab and frowned as she found it completely empty. Kathleen moved toward the main exit but stopped. Something felt wrong. She instead moved over to one of the computers and tried to make contact with Maria. The AI didn't respond. Kathleen stood in the lab planning her next move. Just because she'd been told to go to the training ground didn't mean the test couldn't start earlier. It was one of the old tricks that Saran had played on them. Started the test before they were told it was going to. It taught her to be always ready and trust that funny feeling she would get.

Kathleen searched the lab and grabbed a scalpel, slipping it into one of the pouches on her belt. She didn't really have any supplies here that would help her. She found a back exit and slowly made her way through the hallways, keeping eye and ear open for anything that hit her as odd. She reached the door to leave the medical bay and out into the open. She hesitated for a moment, preparing herself. The door slid open and Kathleen peered out into the open area. She moved out of the door and stayed close to the wall.

A pair of warthogs bounced along the road and Kathleen moved into the shadows. The hogs came to a stop near the door and the gun swept the area. "Clear, let's see if that metal freak is on the other side of the building." The engine roared as the wheels spun and kicked up gravel before moving off.

Kathleen moved out of the shadows and glanced around. She darted across the path to the next building, slipping into the shadows. She looked around for any other hogs that might be patrolling and looking for her. For now she'd have to assume that every soldier she met was an enemy out to get her. She made her way across the base, having to knock out three soldiers who found her. She was careful to only knock them out. They would need every soldier that they could get to stop the Covenant. She made her way to training ground B and paused at what she found.

The Sergeant Major carefully made her way over to the table and terminal. The screen flickered to life and Kathleen moved to it, glad to see the familiar face of Maria. "Sergeant, you made it. You took longer than I expected."

"A few people kept trying to stop me to chat. Takes a bit of time to avoid the chatty soldiers. What do you have for me?" Kathleen glanced over at the combat knife and map that sat on the small table. This should be interesting.

"You are to take the weapon, map, and me, and find the bell." Maria's image smiled. "Understand?"

"I understand." Kathleen removed the data chip and slotted Maria into her armor. She felt the familiar cooling sensation as the AI joined her in the armor. "This is going to be fun."

"Running armor system check. Where are you planning on starting?" Maria's avatar appeared on the corner of Kathleen's HUD. That was new.

"Well, that depends. Are there limits to where it can be? Does it have to be on the training ground, base, or anywhere nearby?"

"I do not have that perimeter in my database. I believe there is no limit. I am sorry to say there are also no hints."

"Well, what about my soldiers? Any limits to them helping?" Kathleen checked over the map. It only showed the layout of the base. She wouldn't let it fool her. The bell could be anywhere.

"I am sorry to say that you are prohibited from having them assist you." Maria sounded honestly disappointed.

"Then I'll search these training grounds and wing it from there with my best guesses. The way we always do it when we have bad or incomplete intel." Kathleen slipped the knife into a sheath on her armor. "Time limit?"

"None, though I think we should finish as soon as we can. Don't want to waste too much time on this silly game." Maria brought up a virtual map on Kathleen's HUD.

Kathleen looked down at the map in her hands and then checked the map on her HUD. They had several differences. "Maria, where did you get that map?"

"I had it stored in my memory. I thought you would need it. You always say to be sure you know the land and if you think you might need something, keep it." Maria highlighted sections in different colors. "The red is the training ground, the purple is the base, and the blue is the rest of the planet."

Kathleen fought the urge to smile. She knew that Maria would be able to see it. It was against her policy to show approval to her soldiers. She had always thought of Maria as a part of the team, but her words had sounded identical to one of her soldiers reciting back one of the many things she had taught them over the years. "Good, then we have the upper hand. I don't think they know you have that map. Give me a list of all ideal locations where they could put the bell. Don't limit it to where they have in the past, but just ideal places. Spots that can be covered by snipers, or could easily be defended by soldiers."

"Working." Several markers showed up on her map, all of them on base. Kathleen agreed with the logic. Despite how easy it would be for them to hide it in a civilian area and make it harder for Kathleen to fight, they wouldn't be willing to risk innocent lives.

"Change of plans then, we're going to hit all those places then see if the bell is there, then we'll go on to the training fields." Kathleen picked a random nav marker. She chose one that was in the open field that the DIs sometimes set up cover and had paintball fights in. It would be a good place to set up a bell and then have a sniper keep watch over it. Kathleen moved across the base, keeping to the shadows and cover. She still didn't know exactly what percentage of the base was taking part in this little exercise.

When Kathleen reached the field, she knew that something was wrong. There was a pole and bell set up in the center of the field. Something about it all, it was just off to her. She scanned the area and spotted several ideal locations for a sniper. It wasn't the location, or even the bell, which looked to perfect out there on the pole. No, this wasn't her target. Kathleen crept back, away from the field.

"Where are you going? That was the bell." Maria sounded perplexed by the Sergeant's actions.

"That's _a_ bell, but not the bell we are looking for." Kathleen checked her HUD and stopped. "All these locations are too perfect. Find me the place on the base that would be the worse place to place a bell."

Maria was silent for a minute before she highlighted five spots. "These are the worst positions strategically."

Kathleen looked over the positions. One was a section of the base that was often used to teach recruits to run across sand. They could plant mines there, but the other soldiers would be at just as much of a disadvantage as her. The second was a rocky area. She would have had the advantage there, and these soldiers had to be smart enough to know not to give her the advantage. She needed to find a place where they thought they'd stand a good chance. She finally found it. The armory. There the soldiers would have all the weapons they could use, the bell wouldn't be out in the open or somewhere that she would expect, not to mention she'd have to be careful or risk setting off some explosive or such that might be in the place. The Sergeant turned and ran off toward the armory.

"Mind letting me in on what you are thinking, Sergeant?" Maria seemed a bit annoyed that she was being ignored. "I can't read your thoughts."

"I think I like it better that way. My head is my own space." Kathleen ducked down behind a crate as a warthog passed. "That was a false bell in that field. They knew that I'd go for the most likely places first and they were setting a trap. That means these soldiers that I'm up against are smart. Logically, then, they would chose a non-obvious place to hide the real bell, and it would have to be a place where they would still have the advantage. The armory is the most likely place for the bell to be by that logic."

"How can you be sure that you are right? What if they have thought of that as well?" Maria removed the other nav markers so that only the armory remained.

"If they have thought of that, then we either find nothing there, or we beat them and find the real bell." Kathleen spotted the armory and took off at an all-out run. She was surprised. She moved faster over the distance than she had expected. She skidded to a halt and knelt in the shadows. She really wished that she had a weapon, but she wasn't allowed one. The ODSS were never allowed weapons in their training exercises. She checked the knife on her armor but decided against it. She didn't want to have to harm anyone, though she knew that wasn't possible. She'd have to try to take them down in hand-to-hand combat. She'd be able to knock them out without causing damage. The Covenant were still out there, so she didn't want to have to put any soldier out of the fight.

Kathleen moved to the entrance. There was no way to come in from the back, or even from the roof, so the front door was really her only choice. She took a deep breath to calm herself down before she threw the door open and moved inside. She took in the scene before her in a flash. The bell was hanging from the center of the room from a chain. She noticed a series of tables that had been moved onto their sides to be used as cover. She heard shattering glass and realized it was above her. A liquid fell from above and a she heard the hiss of a match being struck. The liquid caught fire and rained down on Kathleen. She dove forward and felt heat surrounding her. The energy shield didn't keep the liquid from getting on her, and she felt the part between the plates heat and partially start to melt under the stress. She rolled, to try to get out of the way and the action caused most of the fire to go out.

She rolled to her feet and came face to face with a group of soldiers. The black ODST armor made Kathleen freeze for a second. She always found it hard to attack ODSTs. She noted that none of the ODSTs had any weapons on them. Three of them ran forward toward her. Kathleen dropped into a fighting stance and prepared for a fight. She was regretfully backed up against a wall of fire of the still-burning liquid, which cut off her escape. She focused fully on the three soldiers before her. They attacked in perfect unison and she had to admit that it was properly executed. She knocked away the blows and pushed one of the soldiers back with her hand, sending them flying a few feet back. The other two backed up a few steps and Kathleen realized why. They were attacking in waves.

Five more ODSTs charged forward. She blocked punches and kicks, finding it a bit hard to fight off all eight at once. She noted that there were still four soldiers who had not engaged in the fight. She decided that her only chance would be to go for the bell and try to power through them. She didn't want to hurt them, but she had to ring the bell.

A fist hit the side of her head and it stunned her for just a second. In that time a knee hit her stomach and she went with her instincts. She fell to the ground and went limp. They couldn't see her face behind the helmet so she didn't bother putting on the full act. She looked up at the four ODST that stood over her. They looked at each other and moved a bit, speaking to each other. Kathleen took this as her chance. She reached out and grabbed the leg of the soldier closest to her. She pulled and brought him to the ground.

The other three backed up and Kathleen sprang to her feet. She ran toward the bell and she felt weight land on her. The eight soldiers had moved to her and grabbed her, trying to slow her down. It didn't work, and even when the remaining four moved to attack, she powered forward toward her goal. Fists hit her head and she got a few hits to the stomach. She collapsed to her knees as the wind was knocked out of her. Several of the soldiers on her back let go and started to attack her.

Kathleen was too close to her goal. She had to reach it. She decided that these soldiers could handle a few injuries. She struck out, knocking the legs out from under one of the solders. When he hit the ground she grabbed the front of the armor and flung him at the other solders. Two were knocked down as the thrown soldier hit them. She spun around and found five behind her. She kneed one in the stomach, being careful not to use too much force, and he fell to the ground. Her elbow hit the next one in the side of the head as her other hand grabbed another, tossing them into the fourth. She turned to the final soldier and her palm slammed into his chest. She felt something break and he went flying back, hitting the wall. She didn't bother checking on him. The ODSTs were distracted and she took the chance to run to the bell. She grabbed the rope and rang it three times.

Kathleen stood under the bell feeling triumphant. She'd beaten them, though they'd given up a hell of a fight. "Maria, please note in the report that the energy shield doesn't work against liquids." She moved her arm so she could look at the partially burned armor piece and black under layer.

"Edward, Edward, talk to me." Kathleen turned as she heard the voice. She spotted Emily kneeling over the soldier she had palmed back. Emily had removed her helmet and she was leaning down trying to hear Edward's heartbeat.

It stuck Kathleen what had happened as the rest of the ODSTs moved over to their fallen teammate. They'd pitted her against her own soldiers in this test. "Maria, call the medics."

"They have already been alerted and are on their way," Maria replied.

The ODSTs were gathered around as Emily tried to resuscitate her fallen partner. She could feel several of them glaring at her but were not willing to leave their friend's side. One of them moved forward and now that she knew, Kathleen recognized him as Tobias. "Do you have any idea what you just did?"

Kathleen reached up and removed her helmet. Tobias' shoulders slumped and she could almost see the stunned look behind his visor. "Yes." Her eyes turned to the floor and the sound of a warthog stopping outside echoed through the room. They were all silent as the medic came in. Max and David had to pull Emily away from Edward so that they could work on him.

They moved Edward to the warthog and the ODSS stood outside of the armory watching the jeep move away. "What now, Sarge?"

The soldiers all looked to Kathleen. "Go back to the barracks. I have to report in. I'll check on Edward later." The soldiers didn't say anything, they just moved off. Kathleen watched them go. There was something in the air. Fear for their friend and a bit of hurt for having been forced to fight each other. Kathleen would spar against her soldiers in training, but it hadn't been like this time. They had been going all out and she'd gone all out, and had injured one of them seriously.

Kathleen put her helmet back on and moved off across the base toward the headquarters to report in.


	25. Invasion begins

OCTOBER 20, 2552

Kathleen was grateful for her suit's temperature regulation system. Only a little over an hour ago, Covenant cruisers had appeared near Earth. They'd taken a different strategy, boarding the stations that controlled the MAC defense guns and had destroyed two of them with antimatter bombs. Only one had survived, and according to communications, it had been due to a Spartan.

The Covenant had broken through the wreckage of the destroyed stations and had made their way down to the planet. Most of the troops had been sent to Africa, but that was not where the ODSS were heading, and Kathleen was glad. The orders that had been sent out indicated that the Spartans were being deployed to Africa. Where they were going, there was no risk of running into any Spartans.

The pelican slowed and Kathleen felt it lower toward the ground. She stood and moved to the back of the transport. Kathleen glanced back at her soldiers, who were preparing. Her gaze stopped on Edward. He had only recovered the day before, but had assured her he was ready to go. She still felt the weight of her mistake on her shoulders. She'd broken several of the man's ribs and the fragments had cut him up on the inside. He'd nearly died and she'd almost been the cause.

The ODSS moved up behind her in two lines, ready to get to the fight. "We don't know what's out there. We have no intel. All we know is there was a distress call from an excavation site. It's our job to go in and find out what happened." Eleven helmets nodded in unison. Kathleen didn't want to admit it, but she was relieved. They were all ready to go. She'd been a bit worried that the Covenant's arrival on Earth, and the attacking of the planet, would have them nervous. This was the final battlefront. There was no longer anywhere that they could run. If they lost here, there would be no more battles to fight. Humanity may be able to hide on distant planets where the Covenant might not find them, but for her and her soldiers, it was victory or death.

Kathleen felt the pelican completely stop and she hit the release on the rear hatch. The back opened and the Sergeant jumped off of the ship. She raised her SMG, sweeping the area. The snow crunched under her feet as she moved a bit away from the pelican. The rest of the marines filed out behind her, guns searching for any targets. Kathleen moved around the pelican so that the pilot could see her to the side. She motioned to him to leave and there was a slight nod in return. The pelican rose up and Kathleen motioned to her soldiers. They moved off north through the forest.

For once Kathleen cursed their black armor. It stood out in contrast to the snow-covered landscape around them. If she could, she'd want to have this mission happen at night, but there wasn't time to wait for the sun to set. Every second wasted might mean the Covenant getting that much closer to victory.

They moved through the forest as quickly as they could. The area was breathtaking and if they'd had the time Kathleen would have liked to stop and really look at it. They were deep in the wilderness, far away from any human cities. The trees stood tall around them, some over a meter thick in diameter. Everything was coated in about a foot worth of snow that seemed to make the area so calming.

In no time at all they had reached the facility. It stuck out like a sore thumb in the beautiful wild. The human towers and structures seemed to mock the natural beauty, while generators spewed steam into the air. Kathleen stopped her troops on the hill a good two hundred meters away. There were groups of four grunts walking around in patrols and some jackal snipers on the fence of the facility. None of them seemed very alert.

Kathleen had her soldiers move around the back to a spot where the posted jackals wouldn't be able to find them. There was one hole in their vision which they'd have to use to get through. The problem was there was no simple or quiet way to get in. They didn't have any way to cut through the fence and climbing it would produce too much noise for them to go unnoticed.

"Shit's going to hit the fan fast. Kill everything that you find. If we can, we take care of those out here and then slip in and try to play shadow. If possible, we find out why they are here. Weapons check." Kathleen checked over her own SMG and pistol to be sure they were both in working order. Green lights flashed on her HUD and they moved forward. When they were ten meters away from the fence, Kathleen took off at a full run. She threw her full weight against the fence and the rusted metal broke under the stress. The fence rattled all along the wall, causing the jackals to jump up in surprise and the grunts to start scurrying about in fear.

Kathleen pulled out her pistol and took aim, firing one shot and felling a jackal. Shots joined hers and the rest of the snipers fell to the ground below. "Split into teams, spread out and report in anything. Green take down those towers, Red take down the generators. Blue team, we're looking for those in charge."

The soldiers split up and Emily, Edward, and David fell into line behind Kathleen as they moved through the base. She led them to the lead structure trying to stay to the shadows. A group of jackals walked out of the building and squawked as they spotted the ODSS running toward them. The bird-like aliens raised their shields to protect themselves, but they were useless. Kathleen moved around the red shield of the leader jackal. The butt of her gun slammed into the side of the alien's skull, sending blood, skull fragments, and bits of brain flying through the air. Emily ran between the remaining jackals and they turned to fire on her. David slammed his gun down on the head of one of them, sending it crumpling to the ground. Edward's gun hit the final jackal, sending its corpse flying down the hallway to land with a sickly thud.

The hallway was clear, so they moved in. There was red blood smeared on some of the walls but surprisingly few bodies. Kathleen wondered where they had gone, and then banished the thought. She'd seen firsthand the Covenant gather up survivors and then let jackals and grunts tear them apart. She didn't want to think about that.

Kathleen was also surprised at how few Covenant they found. With a full invasion she would expect it to be crawling. "Maria, how many cruisers are there attacking us?"

There was a pause before the AI replied. "Only fifteen Covenant ships are in system at the moment. Rather weak for an invasion."

Kathleen scowled behind her helmet. That was much too small a force to take down Earth. It seemed more like a scouting group for the Covenant rather than a full invasion. Kathleen stopped her troops as she spotted a doorway with light peeking out from the bottom.

Kathleen took out an optical probe and hooked it up to her helmet, snaking it under the door. She frowned as she spotted the five elites inside. They all wore Zealot armor, except for their leader, a Field Marshall. Kathleen's blood ran cold as the lead alien moved its head. She stared at the image on her HUD, hoping it was wrong. The leader was missing its left lower mandible and there was a long scratch along its neck. The memory of the Zealot pinning her to the ground on Reach, her knife striking out to inflict the injuries, flashed through her mind.

The elites pulled out a data chip from one of the computers and turned, moving toward the door. "Four Zealots coming out." Kathleen withdrew the probe and moved back into the shadows. Her gun was aimed steadily at the door. The door slid back and the elites were framed in the entry way by the soft blue light of the monitors behind them. "Fire!" The ODSS opened fire and energy shields flared as bullets pinged off of them. One of the elites ran forward and in one great leap was on Kathleen. It pinned her to the ground, roaring at her. Her hand pushed its face way as she struggled to reach her knife. Something hit the elite in the side and it rolled off of Kathleen. SMG fire hit the elite and its shield flared. It turned and moved to its feet, taking off at a full run. As it passed, it knocked David to the side, opening the hallway for the others to escape.

David fell to the floor, landing on his side. "Edward, check him. Emily with me." Kathleen took off down the hallway, hearing the steady steps of Emily as they ran after the retreating elites. Kathleen skidded to a halt in the courtyard of the base. The Field Marshall stood waiting for them. The four Zealots were running off toward the head of the base. "Emily, catch those Zealots and follow them. I'll take care of this one." She clicked on her radio. "Green team, cancel the tower demolition. We have four Zealots on their way off base. Follow them and if possible, take them out."

There was a flash of green light on her HUD and Emily took off toward the front of the base. The Field Marshall paid her no mind. Kathleen took a few steps toward the lead elite and it looked her over. The alien flicked its energy sword to life. It growled something in its own language. The monotone automated voice translated every word. "Face me, demon. This time I will kill you properly."

Kathleen took a deep breath. It wouldn't attack her until she was armed. She'd grown to sort of respect the honor that the elites brought to the Covenant. It was only a pity all that honor was wrapped up in such a lie like the Halos. Kathleen drew out her knife and the elite shook its head. It reached to its side and she prepared for whatever it might throw. She was surprised though as it set an item down and slid it across the ground.

Kathleen watched the alien carefully as she reached down and picked up the familiar weapon. She clicked its power and the brilliant blue blade burned to life. "Now it is a true fight."

The Field Marshall ran forward and Kathleen raised her blade to defend. The two swords met and sparks flew. The energy shields of both warriors flared at the contact as they moved into an elegant dance of swings, blocks, parries, and stabs. Kathleen swung with her blade, aiming for the elite's chest, but it ducked back and cut up with its own. Kathleen sidestepped and struck once more. The two blades met and the force reverberated through both blades, sending them flying from the grips of their wielders.

The elite and Kathleen ignored them. They threw themselves at each other, taking to hand-to-hand to finish their fight. Kathleen struggled against the alien's strength. The Mark VI armor helped, making it easier than in the past to deflect and counter blows. Her fist struck the elite's chest and it fell back.

" _Sarge, the Zealots got in a phantom. They are heading back toward the base_." Tym reported. " _Heading back now."_

The news distracted Kathleen just enough to give the Field Marshall a chance. It leapt forward, pinning Kathleen to the ground. Its foot landed on her chest and its hand moved to her throat. Kathleen's hand searched and she found something she could use. The familiar feel of the energy sword's handle was just out of reach. The elite was trying to choke her to death as she struggled to pull the blade close enough to be used. She felt her fingers burn as they moved over the blade. The elite pulled back its fist, aiming it at Kathleen's head. Her arm moved up just in time to deflect it. The hit stuck her shoulder armor, shattering it. The elite roared in anger and pain as the shards of the armor cut into its fingers. It struck again and this time Kathleen moved her head, though the hit still managed to hit about half of her helmet. A crack spread across her visor and her HUD flickered. It hit again and the reflective material shattered. Kathleen moved her head to the side so the shards fell away from her face. She turned back to the elite and it seemed to hesitate for a moment as she glared up at it. It quickly snapped itself out of its momentary daze.

The elite raised its fist for one last hit as Kathleen's hand finally managed to find purchase on the energy sword. A look of surprise crossed the elite's face and Kathleen felt its weight being lifted off of her. For the first time she noticed the shadow that was cast over them. The Field Marshall roared and struggled, as though it could swim though the air back down to its enemy. Kathleen watched as the elite was lifted up by the grav beam. The elite shouted curses at its soldiers as it was pulled up into the phantom, franticly trying to get back down. Kathleen moved to her feet and watched as the elite disappeared into the belly of the ship. The phantom turned and sped off over the tree line.

Edward helped David stagger out of the building and he looked over the scene. "What happened?"

Kathleen ignored the question. "How's David?"

"Just a little knocked around. He'll be fine in a few minutes. What happened to the Zealots?" Edward helped David sit down.

"They got away. Had transport not far away." Kathleen inwardly cursed. Whatever they'd come there for, they'd gotten it. It was only a few minutes before the rest of the team gathered.

"Sorry Sarge, the Zealots had a good enough head start that even Emily couldn't catch up with them." Luke frowned and his shoulders slumped. "What did they come here for?"

"Information. Maria, report in to command what's happened." Kathleen knelt down, taking a moment to catch her breath.

"Reported. Sergeant, the prophet or Regret's fleet has retreated and a UNSC ship has followed with Spartan-117 on board. Only seconds ago, a new force arrived. It is much stronger, a full invasion force." Maria seemed uneasy as she spoke.

"Maria, call for evac. We need to get back to base." Kathleen turned to her solders. "On your feet. There's still a lot more fighting to do. The Covenant haven't even started trying to invade." The news didn't seem to upset the soldiers, rather lift their spirits. They were eager to make up for their defeat.

An hour later Kathleen stood in the laboratory while the technicians worked on her armor, trying to get her ready to return to repelling the invading forces. "All right, ma'am, you are ready to go. Hope you like the upgrades."

Kathleen frowned at the word upgrade. She looked toward her shoulder armor. She smiled ever so slightly as she looked over the ODST shoulder armor. "I do like the upgrade."

"That's not all." The technician handed Kathleen the repaired Mark VI helmet.

Kathleen looked down at the reflective black surface of her helmet. "This will definitely work." She slipped on the helmet and was glad to see the HUD flicker to life. The tech slipped something into the back of her helmet and the familiar sensation of Maria joining her in the armor spread over her mind.

"Ready to get back to work, Sergeant?" Maria ran a system check and the status of all of her armor parts flickered over Kathleen's HUD.

"More than you could know." There was a battle raging and since the fleet of the prophet of Truth had arrived brutes had been waging war across the planet. They needed to be stopped, and with Spartan-117 gone and only three Spartans in a team working on the other side of the planet, they would need the ODSS. Kathleen stepped down from the platform and moved toward the exit of the lab. "Maria, order the troops to be ready to move out. It's time to get revenge for them running away from us last time."

"Gladly." Maria's avatar smirked in the corner of Kathleen's HUD. The Sergeant moved out of the laboratory to meet up with her troops.


	26. Enemy of my enemy

OCTOBER 21, 2552(MILITARY CALENDAR)

Kathleen stared intently at the scene below her. She'd never seen anything like it. Her team had been deployed to the city less than an hour ago. They'd found the streets empty and no sign of the Covenant, until they found the museum.

Shade turrets were set up defensively around the building, manned by eager grunts. What was odd was who they were fighting. When the ODSS had arrived, the turrets had been firing wildly at the pack of brutes. The marines had watched in odd fascination as the aliens fought amongst themselves. Already three groups of brutes had made an attack on the museum.

Max turned to Kathleen. "So what do we do?"

She paused before replying, choosing the best course of action. "We need to find out what's going on, why they are fighting." If they could find the source of the issue, it could be used to get the upper hand. "We need to get in there. Maria, what are our options?"

"Best chance is to go underground. There's a drainage system that leads into the basement of the building." Maria brought up the map of the system on Kathleen's HUD.

"Looks like we're going to have to go groundhog. Grab your gear and let's go." Kathleen moved away from the edge of the roof. She moved to the stairs which led down to the ground. She heard her soldiers follow her down the steps to the bottom level. She checked the map and changed their direction. They moved through the streets until she reached the manhole that was large enough for her to fit through.

Tobias and Luke grabbed the holes in the top of the manhole. They lifted up the cover and, one by one, the marines moved across the street and slid into the hole, down into the pipes below. Kathleen was the last one through, pulling the cover back into place overhead before she slid down to join her team.

"VISR on." She clicked on the system and the familiar yellow lines spread over the view through her visor. In the darkness of the drainage system, the VISR was at its best. Everything was perfectly outlined, even the rats that ran for cover as the soldiers moved.

A nav point appeared and Kathleen turned, taking point as she led her team down the pathway toward the marker. Their steps echoed in the enclosed space. After a few minutes Kathleen brought them to a halt under a hatch.

Tym and James moved up the ladder and got to work. They applied a substance to the latches of the hatch and moved back down. Kathleen looked away as the thermite burned to life for just a second. The light faded and Kathleen climbed up the ladder. She set her shoulder against the hatch and pushed up. There was a loud snap that echoed as the latches broke.

Kathleen slowly raised the hatch and swept the room. It was clear. She opened the hatch fully and pulled herself out. The rest of her soldiers followed her and they spread out through the large room. The room seemed to be a part of the basement of the building. Pipes ran overhead and water dripped in the empty space.

"Split up into teams. Red, take the geology wing, Green, take the aquatic area, Blue will take the space wing." Lights winked and the teams moved off. Kathleen watched as Green and Red team moved off. She motioned to her team and they fell into line behind her. She made her way through the hallway, keeping an ear open for any enemies. They moved into their target wing of the museum.

The archway over the space wing was decorated with stars and spacecrafts, the words 'The final frontier' etched among the galactic icons. Inside the main room, the ceiling was painted to look like the night sky while holograms of planets hung in the air above where visitors would walk. The marines ignored the holograms and all the displays around them. They moved from display to display, using them for cover. Kathleen stopped outside the entrance to the part of the wing marked as colonization. She peeked into the room and spotted a group of elites standing in the center of the room, standing under the holographic image of what she knew to have been Reach.

Kathleen eased her way into the room; the elites were too busy talking to notice the tiny bit of noise that she made. Kathleen took cover behind a display of Harvest and turned her attention to the discussion of the elites.

The Zealot shifted unhappily. "What are we going to do? Three more phantoms arrived—that means that there will be a full assault. The scouts said that they caught a glimpse of a wraith tank on one of the phantoms."

Kathleen almost smacked her head as the Field Marshal turned toward the Zealot. She recognized the missing mandible right away. How did she keep finding this one elite, across this entire planet, out of the thousands of elite soldiers? Fate seemed to be determined to have them fight, to finish what started between them on Reach.

A second Zealot growled and its hand inched toward its hip, as though aching to use the energy blade there. "We cannot sit here on the defense. Why do we not go out there and cut their hides to bits?"

"Such rash actions will only get us all killed. We must get back to the cruiser and join our brothers." The Field Marshal stared up at the hologram above them. "We must hold this structure until we can evacuate."

"I don't understand why the prophets have backed them. Why have they forsaken us when we have been loyal?" The first Zealot hung his head as he spoke.

"I do not understand it myself. You saw the video feed. The brutes have turned and somehow take the prophets to their side. They have slaughtered our council, and they will pay for such a move against us." The Marshal shifted his attention to his soldiers. "We must make it off this planet, even if only so we can face those traitorous beasts and spill their blood in vengeance of our fallen kin."

"What of the news of the news of the second ring containing the plague?" The second Zealot's hands twitched as he spoke, as though recalling having faced the menace in the past.

"As your leader I will be honest with you. The presence of the plague on another ring has shaken my faith in the path. The prophets have backed the brutes and the rings which they have led us to are covered in nothing but horror and terror. I find it hard to believe that that is what the gods would have brought us to." The Field Marshal looked at his two soldiers. The both of them nodded, showing that they agreed. "We will focus on crushing the brutes, and the flood if it so chooses to challenge us. From this point on, we trust only our blade, our brothers, and our honor."

There was a rumble and a bit of ceiling tile fell from above. "Damn beasts." The first Zealot growled and turned toward the entrance to the room.

A third Zealot rushed into the room. "Marshal, the wraith tank has taken out our turrets." The elite froze and looked to his left. He stood, staring at the shadows where Kathleen knew that Edward and Emily were hiding.

"What's wrong?" The second Zealot glanced toward the shadows, not seeing what his teammate had.

The Zealot turned toward the two hiding ODSS and took a step forward. Kathleen decided to take action, reluctant to just let the elite find her soldiers. She sprang out from behind her hiding spot and behind the elite. Her arm wrapped around its neck and pulled back, cutting its air off a bit. She spun it around so it was between her and the remaining three elites. "Stop!"

The second Zealot moved as though to race forward but the Field Marshal stopped him. The Zealots stared at their leader in confusion. "What do you want, demon?" the elite growled, eying the Spartan carefully.

Kathleen didn't relax. They weren't going to attack, but they were still in hostile territory. "I think you and I can be of help to each other here." Kathleen was surprised that the elite in her grip didn't struggle. He either didn't have the strength for it, was preparing to catch her off guard, or trusted his leader enough to save him.

The Field Marshal seemed genuinely surprised by the words. "How do you mean, demon?"

Kathleen would have once snapped at the elite for calling her demon—it was their name for Spartans—but she had to admit there was an odd tone to the word as the Field Marshal spoke it that made her sort of like it. "I mean you and I seem to have the same enemy right now, and the enemy of my enemy, is my friend…sort of." Kathleen jerked her head toward the main entrance of the museum. "You see, you and I don't like those big apes outside with the tank. Not to mention, as you said, you want to get off this planet. We want you to get off this planet."

"Exactly what do you propose, demon?" The Field Marshal glanced around the room, making sure that it wasn't a trap.

"I am proposing, that we join together, slaughter the mongrels outside, you get the hell off this planet, and we wait until the next time we meet on the field to have out our little issues." Kathleen shifted and the elite in her grip groaned. "That and none of your soldier, and none of mine, have to die."

The Field Marshal paused, thinking over his options. "You cannot honestly be thinking of working with this human. They cannot be trusted." The second Zealot eyed Kathleen hesitantly.

"She has not killed our brother, and her soldiers have not moved to attack us. I want your word, on your honor, that you will not stab us in the back. That we work together." The Field Marshal took a step toward Kathleen, hands up to show that he wasn't going for a weapon.

Kathleen hesitated for a moment. "I want your word on the same thing, on your honor that we work together, until you're off this planet, we don't fight each other."

The Field Marshal nodded. "You have my word on my honor. Until we are off this planet, we are not enemies." The two Zealots shifted unhappily.

Kathleen could feel the similar discomfort from her own soldiers where they were hidden. "You have my word on my honor that until you are off this planet we are not enemies." Kathleen released the elite she had been holding. He took a step away from her and jumped a bit as Emily and Edward appeared behind him, watching the two leaders.

Kathleen stuck her right hand out and the elite stared at it. "It's a human tradition. When you make a deal you shake hands." The elite still looked confused so she grabbed his right hand with hers. The Field Marshal flinched back but stopped as she started to shake hands with him. She released it and nodded. "It's a show of agreement.

"Very well then human, we have shaken our hands. What troops do you have that can be offered? I have four Zealots, six majors, and ten minors at my disposal."

"I've got myself and eleven ODSS." Kathleen clicked on her radio. "Red team, Green team, report to my location ASAP. Do not engage any elites. Kill brutes at will." Two acknowledgment lights on her HUD flashed.

The Field Marshal clicked on his own radio. "All troops, be altered that there are humans in the building. You are not to engage them, repeat, not to engage." The Field Marshal turned back to Kathleen. "I have to say. Twelve soldiers does not seem like that much of help."

"Well I would agree with that, if you hadn't seen what those twelve can do on Reach. We can do just as much damage, if not more, to brutes." Kathleen glanced over her shoulder as the first of her soldiers arrived. Red team arrived with Green team close behind. They eyed the Zealots carefully. "So then, shall we get to setting up our plan, 'cause I've got one."

It had only taken a few minutes to set everything up. Patrick hacked the hologram system and changed it so that the floating transparent orbs hung only inches above the ground rather than high above. Kathleen was crouched behind what she could only guess was supposed to be Neptune, though she wasn't sure as the other holograms seemed to warp and change each other with their close proximity. She glanced to her left where the Field Marshal was beside her. He turned to her and she nodded. The elite returned the gesture and they waited.

Gun fire could be heard echoing in the main chamber, followed by boots slamming against the ground at a steady pace. Emily dashed through the entryway and quickly vanished into the jumble of holographic planets. Heavy footsteps could be heard growing closer. Several grunts appeared in the entryway, overshadowed by the bulk of a minor brute. Kathleen felt the elite tense beside her at the sight of his enemy. She did give him some credit. The Marshal stayed where he was, despite the nearly tangible hatred in the air.

The brute ordered the scared grunts in and they hesitantly moved forward, into the room. Their plasma pistols swept around, but the odd collection of colors made it hard for them to even spot the blurs. In a flash, three grunts fell to the ground, necks snapped. They crumpled to the ground and the brute roared in anger. In its frustration it moved into the room, ignoring the danger. Kathleen moved eased a bit forward, but the Field Marshal was faster. His energy blade flared and sliced through the brute's chest, sending blood flying through the air before the beast fell to the ground.

There was the sound of more running and Kathleen realized that the Field Marshal wasn't moving back into cover. He stood, ready to face his enemy. She smirked behind her helmet and stood up, moving to his side in the open.

"What are you doing, demon?" The elite glanced over at her.

"What are you doing?" She attached her DMR to her back, and reached to her armor, pulling out her combat knife.

"I am standing to face my enemy. The ones who killed my brothers." The Field Marshal stood up a bit taller.

"I'm doing the same thing." Kathleen stood beside him and they watched as a group of brutes thudded toward them. The Field Marshal roared in anger at them. The elite took a step forward and the brutes charged through the door. In a flash, the room erupted into chaos. Plasma flashed through the air as the elites opened fire, coupled with shots from her own soldiers' SMGs. Kathleen moved through the room looking for any target. Each time she saw a brute, she stabbed or slashed at whatever exposed flesh she could find before vanishing back into the combined lights of the holographic planets.

She backed up and her back met something metal. She glanced back to find the Field Marshal behind her. The elite roared and moved out of the way, turning to face her. He suddenly grabbed her and pulled Kathleen forward just out of the way as a gravity hammer swung through where she had been standing. The chieftain roared and Kathleen turned to face it. The brute moved, but the Field Marshal moved faster. The energy blade flashed and cut across the brute's arm, causing it to drop its hammer. With a few quick following slashes, the blade cut through the beast and it went tumbling to the ground.

The room fell silent as the last of the brutes fell, and Kathleen moved toward the exit. The elites followed. Several were injured and she checked the status of her own team. A few injuries, but nothing serious enough to be dealt with right way. The soldiers moved out to the entrance of the building and stood, looking around.

"The skies are clear. Our evac team can come and retrieve us." The Field Marshal stared up at the clouds. The space battle was still visible in the space above.

Kathleen glanced over at the elite. She had to admit he'd been a good teammate, even if it was only for this one fight. She almost regretted that the next time they would meet, they would be enemies.

There was a familiar sound and Kathleen frowned as she tried to place it. She realized what it was as the hint of neon blue appeared in the corner of her vision. They'd forgotten about the wraith. Kathleen moved without thinking. She tackled the Field Marshal. Fire spread over her back and she could feel the metal and under-layer of her armor melting to her skin.

She cursed as she tried to get up, but the pain caused her to struggle to move. Something lifted her up and she found herself being carried back into the museum. She spotted James, Spartan laser at the ready, aiming down. It went off and she could vaguely hear someone say that it was down.

Her body finally started to respond and Kathleen struggled to her feet. She looked over at who had pulled her inside and the Field Marshal nodded to her. "Are you all right?"

Kathleen checked her body and she winced as she moved her back. "Back is burnt pretty bad, but I'm all right. Thanks for getting me out of there."

The elite nodded. "Thank you for saving me." Kathleen nodded in return. The elite clicked on his radio. " _Glorious Salvation,_ this is Field Marshal Enre Sdoulee. I am requesting evac from my location." There was a pause. "We will be waiting."

"So your name is Enre Sdoulee?" Kathleen leaned up against the wall, trying to ease the pain.

The elite turned to her. "Yes, it is." He shifted uncomfortably. "You might want to get inside. If the phantom sees you, they will fire on your team."

Kathleen nodded and motioned for her soldiers to get inside. They rushed in and she paused at the door. "I'm Kathleen, by the way. Sergeant Major Kathleen-one-one-three."

Enre nodded to her. "It was an honor to fight alongside you, but the next time we meet, I will kill you."

Kathleen reached up and removed her helmet, letting him see her face. She smirked at him. "You can give it your best shot. I promise to give you the fight of your life." She turned and moved into the museum.

Kathleen watched from the window as the phantom appeared, picking up the elites and move off. "Maria, have you called in our evac?"

"Yes, Sergeant. And I have informed them of the new information," Maria reported.

The marines moved to the main steps and sat on the blood- and burn-stained steps, watching the skies for the pelican. They were picked up ten minutes later and moved to a fortified base. Kathleen was hurried to the medical bay to have her burns treated. They had to strip off her armor in order to treat her properly.

Kathleen was treated for her wound, and her damaged armor was replaced. Although her injuries weren't healed, her team was on the next pelican out, off toward the next destination, to the next city they could hope to save.

Kathleen sat forward in the pelican, trying to avoid putting pressure on her injured skin. Her mind wandered to the Field Marshal. She wondered if once more she would meet him in combat, and if this time, she would survive.


	27. Faceoff

NOVEMBER 4, 2552(MILITARY CALENDAR)

Kathleen stood in the back of the pelican, looking down at the city below. Several of the buildings were on fire or smoking from plasma burns. She glanced down and saw the line of wraith tanks firing at a second group. The brutes and elites had been steadily fighting for almost a week and didn't seem to show any signs of stopping. It worked fine for Kathleen. It meant that they were fighting a war on two fronts, so they were often distracted when her soldiers would come in and finish off the last of them.

Kathleen turned to look back at her soldiers. "Get ready for drop." She checked the gear on her own back and the rest of her soldiers did the same. She flashed a thumbs up to the pilot and moved to prepare for the drop. The UNSC troop transport moved in low over the buildings, moving about one hundred feet over the rooftops. Kathleen motioned to her troops, and one by one they jumped.

Kathleen activated her jet-pack, slowing her fall. She used it in bursts at first to slow her velocity and angle herself. When she reached sixty feet she turned it on full blast. The rockets fired and she slowed, heading straight for the roof of one of the skyscrapers. She hit the roof and her knees bent, absorbing some of the impact. She rolled forward and to her feet, and unslung her SMG. Edward, Emily, and Tym landed on the roof around her. The rest of the ODSS landed on the surrounding buildings.

She looked around and spotted the nav marker that Maria had placed for them. Kathleen turned and ran toward it. When she reached the edge of the roof she jumped and her jetpack carried her over the distance to the next building. She heard the other three follow her as she leapt from roof to roof. The rest of the team joined up with them and they made their way toward the center of town.

From what information they had been given, the elites had control of their target at the moment, but the brutes were quickly breaking through. A second wave of elites had been sent in to attack the rear of the brute's forces, making the perfect distraction for Kathleen and her troops. There was no time to waste and they'd have to slip in fast. According to the signal they'd gotten, some civilians had taken cover in a bunker under the capitol building. She was sure that the Covenant were trying to cut their way down to the humans as they raced toward the building. They'd have to clear out the building enough that they could get to the bunker, remove the civilians, and move them to a location for evac. A simple mission on paper, but one ten times harder when actually put into practice.

The ODSS gathered in a single rooftop behind the main city building. "All right, we're going in from above. We might find brutes, might find elites, might find them fighting. If it's just one, then neutralize them, but if both are there, let them fight it out until there's only one, then kill them while they are weak."

"That doesn't seem fair." Kathleen turned to Matthew. "I mean where's the sport in killing an enemy that's weakened? It just feels wrong."

Kathleen had to admit he was right. It felt wrong to not be facing their foes head on. She wasn't sure if she was willing to take the risk of engaging both forces at once when they had civilians to rescue. She looked around at her soldiers and could tell that several of them agreed with that view. "All right, new plan. David, you'll take Max, Patrick, Matthew and James down to get the civilians. The rest of us will find any enemies, and destroy them." The mood suddenly shifted. Her soldiers went from hesitant to ready for combat. She nodded, confident that they were ready.

Kathleen moved to the edge of the roof, looking down and doing a quick scan for patrols before she jumped, using her jetpack to make the long leap to the city building. Kathleen landed, moving across the roof to the skylight that they would have to use as an entrance. The soldiers gathered around and she paused for a moment. "Remember, stay on task, get those civilians out. We'll draw the enemies away from that area if we can." The ODSS nodded and Kathleen jumped.

Her weight slammed into the glass of the skylight and it shattered under the impact. She used her jetpack to slow her fall so she landed on the hard marble floor easily. She didn't waste a moment, heading off toward the closest sounding weapon fire. Yellow dots followed behind her as her strike force moved after her.

The ODSS entered the main entryway and found, sort of what Kathleen expected. Brutes had taken up cover behind large pillars that marked the entrance while elites were crouched behind desks and knocked-over tables. Kathleen hesitated for a moment. Which was the bigger threat? Elites were smarter, but the brutes were physically stronger.

"Demon!" Kathleen turned her attention to the sound of the shout. A familiar Field Marshalll was running across the marble floor, energy sword at the ready, forgetting that there was any other threat. Faced with her rival Kathleen threw caution to the wind as well. She ran toward the Field Marshalll, skidding to a halt suddenly. The elite muct have either seen, or felt it as well as he too stopped, just in time for the hammer of a Chieftain to slam into the ground, cracking the marble where the two would have met.

Kathleen moved a few steps back, glancing to her right and the elites who stood back, just watching the scene before them. She noted that most of them were ultra or zealot class elites. She then glanced to the left and saw the brutes preparing to move out of cover, to engage. "Focus on the brutes. The elites will wait."

Without question the ODSS moved to engage the brutes, SMGs pushing them back, cutting down shields, and dropping them one by one. The brutes allowed their bloodlust to drive them to turn their attention toward the marines. Kathleen turned her full focus back on to two enemies that she'd managed to get into a standoff with. She glanced over at the Field Marshalll but his eyes were full of anger and she knew that he wouldn't team up with her this time. She wondered what had happened between then and now that had changed that.

Kathleen was snapped out of those thoughts as the Chieftain charged toward her. She moved out of the way, raising her SMG and opening fire. If she could remove its shields then she could easily kill it with her knife. Kathleen was forced to drop the gun as the Field Marshalll swung, blade cutting her weapon in half. She moved a bit back and drew out her blade. This was going to be trickier then she thought. She had two enemies who were both after her blood. If she could kill the brute then she could fight the elite as she properly wanted to, one-on-one. She drew out her blade and prepared to defend herself.

The chieftain made the first move, charging toward Kathleen. It raised its hammer up and slammed it down at Kathleen. The Sergeant dodged out of the way, ducking down just in time to drop under the Field Marshalll's sword swing. Kathleen shifted her focus, leaping at the elite and tackling him.

The pair hit the ground and Kathleen tried to shift so that she could stab the enemy under her. A red dot appeared on her motion tracker and Kathleen dove to the side. The Field Marshalll rolled away just in time for the brute's hammer to slam into the marble where they had just been. Kathleen's shield flared as shrapnel from the breaking floor hit her. She prepared herself for the brute to attack again, but it didn't. Instead the Chieftain had turned its attention on the elite. Kathleen decided that she would take this as her chance to sneak up on the brute.

The Chieftain swung its hammer and the Field Marshall expertly dodged and countered. There was no strategy to the swings of the brute but it was obvious that the elite was looking for an opening, biding his time. Each time the elite swung it blocked or chipped away at the brute's armor and shield. Kathleen moved to stay behind the brute, waiting for the perfect chance to strike. She got it soon enough. The elite had managed to keep the brute wildly swinging, breaking away most of its armor and taking down its shields. The Field Marshall's foot connected with the side of the brute's skull, breaking apart the beast's helmet and sending it reeling back.

Kathleen raced forward. She easily climbed up onto the brute's back, gripping tight to the Chieftain's armor before she stabbed her knife into the brute's neck. The ape-like alien roared in pain as the blade cut into its hide. Kathleen held on tight as it started to thrash about, trying to throw her off. She withdrew the blade and stabbed it in again, looking for any sort of major artery. Her hands were already coated with the brute's blood but still it stood.

The brute dropped its hammer, reaching back and grabbing Kathleen. With one great motion the brute pulled her from its back and threw Kathleen as far as she could. She struggled to keep a hold on her knife but she managed to pull it out before she was tossed. The brute turned to pick up its hammer only to find the Field Marshall waiting. The elite's blade sank into the Chieftain's chest. The brute let out one last groan before the blade was pulled free and the giant fell to the ground.

The Field Marshall stood over his kill, triumphant. "You die without honor." The elite took a step back and turned his attention to Kathleen, who was struggling to her feet. She'd hit the wall hard and was trying to regain her senses. "I hope that you will not be the same."

The elite charged forward, sword at the ready. Kathleen scrambled to her feet and prepared herself to counter. She sidestepped the first swing, getting into a rhythm of dodging the strikes. She kept close eye on the form and way that the elite moved his sword. Each swing was precise and practiced, that of a soldier that had used one often to take down many foes. The elite's blade tore through Kathleen's side and she moved a bit back. The Field Marshall charged again and she took her chance, charging toward her foe.

Kathleen ducked past the elite's blade and brought her elbow up, slamming it into the elite's chest. The Field Marshall fell back and Kathleen was on him in a second. She straddled the elite and struck out with her knife. The alien struggled under her, trying to get out of the way of the blade. Kathleen's knife scraped off of metal a few times before she finally managed to hit something flesh. The Field Marshall's fist connected with the side of Kathleen's head, knocking her off. She rolled to the side, moving into a fighting stance.

The elite still lay on the ground but tried to scramble backward to put room between it and Kathleen. She spotted the purple blood dripping from the right side of the elite's face and the second missing mandible. She raced forward, determined to do more damage. The elite saw her coming and kicked out, hitting her square in the chest and sending Kathleen flying back.

Both soldiers moved to their feet and Kathleen cursed as she realized she'd dropped her knife. The Field Marshall didn't hesitate, running toward her. Kathleen had understood enough of the sword technique that she took action. Kathleen moved to the side of a swing and quickly grabbed the elite's arm. She gripped the aliens forearm with one hand and the upper arm with her other. The alien was stunned long enough for her to launch the counter attack. She brought her elbow up and hit the side of the elite's skull. Before he could recover she moved again, slamming her knee into the alien's chest.

Kathleen released him and the elite skidded across the marble. Quickly the Field Marsha moved to his feet and backed off. Kathleen shifted, ready for his next attack. She realized she was panting, and her side ached terribly. She couldn't keep fighting like this or it would kill her. She didn't know where her knife had fallen, or if she could keep dodging the elite.

The Field Marshall prepared to charge but suddenly stopped, turning his gaze upward. Kathleen glanced up but all she saw was the ceiling. The alien's head tilted to the side and he growled unhappily. "This will wait." Kathleen scowled at the answer. He would run away? "Soon you will have bigger threats to worry about." The elite then barked out some orders for his troops to move and as one the ultra and zealot elites ran through the room and toward the exit. The Field Marshall hesitated for a moment before he ran off after his troops.

Kathleen stood in the room, looking around at the dead brutes, burnt walls, and broken floor. Brute, elite, and human blood painted the floors and she shook her head, brining herself back to the present. She clicked on her radio and contacted the rescue team. "David, what's the condition of the civilians."

" _We're almost at the evac point. We're ready for you to join us._ " David sounded a bit annoyed. She didn't really blame him. Working with civilians never was a pleasant task.

"We're on our way." Kathleen switched off her radio and turned to her strike team. "All right, we're heading to the evac. Civies are safe." There was an odd feeling in the air. One that she hadn't felt around her soldiers. They moved off through the building and toward the evac pelican that would be waiting. It was about halfway to their destination that she realized what the feeling was. They had saved lives, something they usually didn't do. They never were sent on civilian recuse missions, had never been hands-on in seeing innocent lives off of a planet. Kathleen had to admit she liked the feeling, but she oddly didn't feel that it evened out with the annoyance of working with non-soldiers.

The ODSS reached their destination and Kathleen found the soldiers and civilians sitting out in the open. "Why aren't they under cover?"

David stood up and glanced over at the people. "Because there's no threat. Covenant have left the area, brute and elite. Don't know why but all their ships bugged out and all their ground forces have pulled back." He turned back to his CO. "What happened to you?"

Kathleen glanced down at her armor and realized she was pretty thoroughly coated in blood of different species. "Well, we met up with Enre again." That seemed to be a good enough explanation for David. Kathleen contacted Maria. She wanted info. "Maria, why are the Covenant leaving?"

"Their reason is unclear, Sergeant. I do not have any information on what might be causing the elites to pull out. The brutes are still on the planet, but have just been removed from this city." Maria sounded just as confused as Kathleen was.

"All right. I guess for now it doesn't matter much." Kathleen hated to let it go but she didn't have the resources to properly find out what was going on. Maybe she'd have Patrick see what he could find if they got a chance. "Maria, we need some medical patching up."

"A team will be ready for you on base, ma'am."

Kathleen moved toward the pelican, watching as the civilians were moved on board and then her soldiers followed after. Kathleen made sure she was the last one on before she closed the hatch and they took off, rising up and heading off to somewhere safer. Kathleen sat in the rear of the ship, unnerved by what the elite had said. What had he meant by she would have bigger threats?


	28. What's next?

NOVEMBER 17, 2552(MILITARY CALENDAR)

Kathleen stared at herself in the mirror. She felt like she could hardly recognize herself. Over the past weeks of fighting on Earth she'd aged. Her reflection looked tired, like she hadn't slept since the fighting started. She could already spot several new scars, one above her eye stretching from her forehead to her eyebrow, a small scar above her lip, and a scar over her cheek. Her eyes were dull, not their usual calm blue. Her blond hair was shaggy and she really needed to have it cut.

"Sarge?" Kathleen turned to look at Maria. "The ODSS are to report to conference room D in fifteen minutes."

"Any idea why?" Kathleen moved away from the mirror. She was tired of looking at a visual reminder of the toll that the war was taking on her.

"I am sorry, but no. I can only guess that it has to do with the debris from the infected Covenant ship that crashed." Maria's gaze turned toward the floor. "It seems that whatever was on the main ship was on some of the debris that fell."

Kathleen ran through the options. Likely her team would be sent to take care of this new threat. She'd gotten word that Spartan 117 had returned, but there had been no sign of the remaining Spartans. With the Master Chief already deployed, according to orders Maria had found, Kathleen's team was really the only choice. She could only hope this meeting was to inform them of the new enemy, and maybe give them tips on how to stop it.

"Maria, inform the soldiers to meet me outside of conference room D." Kathleen didn't wait for Maria to reply before she moved out of the room and to the conference room. She stood outside the door and waited.

"Hey, Sarge, what's this about?" Tobias asked as he approached.

"Does it have anything to do with the big portal, or the large group of ships that went through it after the Loyalists?" Tym asked.

"Unclear, wasn't told much of anything. Don't know what that portal is, or why the ships followed." Kathleen waited until they had all gathered around. "I do have my guess, though, and if I'm right then we'll be facing a new enemy." A wave of excitement and apprehension crossed her soldier's faces. "If we do, then I don't know what will happen. Fighting two enemies has been hard enough. I'm not sure how we'll handle three, but we'll do it." Her soldiers nodded. Kathleen returned the nod and keyed the code into the room door.

The bulky metal door slid back and Kathleen didn't like what she saw. The Captain stood by the holotank in the center of the room. The problem was the other being in the center of the room. A Fleet master in gold armored elite stood beside the Captain, talking to him. To the side stood nine zealots and a Field Marshall. The Field Marshall snapped his two remaining mandibles at her. An air of tension filled the air as Kathleen and Enre locked gazes.

"Ah, Sergeant, you made it." The Captain was completely at ease, unaware of the hostile tension. He motioned for her to come closer.

Kathleen moved toward the Captain and saluted. "Sir, reporting as ordered. If you don't mind me asking, sir, what is going on?" Kathleen eyed the elites warily.

The Captain glanced over at the elites. "I'd thought you'd heard. A truce has been called between the UNSC and the Separatists. They are our friends now." Kathleen raised an eyebrow at the news. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. "You have bigger things to worry about. A few hours ago an infected Loyalist ship crash landed on Earth. Bits and pieces of this ship have broken off and landed across Africa, but you'll be locating, and if needed, destroying a piece that landed in the Middle East."

"My soldiers can handle it, sir." Kathleen assured him.

"It won't just be your soldiers Sergeant. For this mission, and to show the new peace between us and the separatist, your team will be accompanied by Field Marshall Enre Sdoulee and his team." The Captain turned to the elites.

"This must be some sort of joke." Enre growled, turning to the gold armored elite. "Why would I work with that thing?"

"Who are you calling a thing?" Kathleen was not at all happy with the insult. She was fine with being called demon but 'thing' was not all right. "I don't go around trying to stab people in the face like you."

"No, you actually stab people in the face." Enre pointed to his missing mandibles. He crouched down a bit, the elite's natural reaction to a threat.

"Enough!" The Captain barked. "You two will put this fighting aside. You must show a united front and be an example for both of our species."

"You dare to try to instruct me, human?" Enre turned his anger toward the Captain.

"These are the orders of our shipmaster, and the Arbiter." Enre flinched at the ranks that were mentioned by the gold armored elite. "You must do your part, Field Marshall." Enre's rank was growled out like an insult. Enre shifted uncomfortably as the gold armored elite moved toward him.

The Captain turned to Kathleen. His gaze was stone cold and his expression serious. "Do you have any issues with this, Sergeant?"

Kathleen paused for a moment. "No issues, though I have a question." The Captain motioned to Kathleen for her to ask it. "Sir, why us, and why them? He and I are enemies."

"Your record would not indicate that that is really true. We are aware that you have worked together, successfully, in the past." The gold armored elite moved toward Kathleen. "As you succeeded then, we expect you to succeed now. The new bond between our groups may depend on it. The fate of your species may even more depend on what you can learn from our soldiers." Kathleen frowned at that last part.

Enre took a step toward the gold armored elite, but Kathleen moved before he could do anything else. The Field Marshall glared at her but she remained calm. "For the best of both of our species, it is best if we, for now, put aside our hatred for each other, and destroy, whatever it is that is out there." Kathleen frowned and turned to the Captain. "What is it that we're looking for?"

"I warned you that you would have bigger things to worry about." Enre moved a bit back, looking to the gold armored elite.

"The fallen ship was infected with a plague called the Flood." The gold armored elite growled out the last word. "It is an ancient enemy. I am sure you know a bit about it."

"I know only a little about it. Parasite, uses sentient life as a host, comes in three forms. Combat, carrier, and infection forms. It was the reason why the halos were made." Kathleen had read the report by the Master Chief over what had happened. She wasn't really looking forward to having to deal with it.

"It is worse than that now. On the second halo that was found, there was something else there." The gold armored elite moved to the holotank and motioned to the image that appeared. Kathleen frowned at what she was seeing. "This, it calls itself the Gravemind."

The image she was looking at was a grotesque thing. Its mouth was split into four parts, one large part on the top and bottom and a smaller ones on each side. The image turned and shifted, and Kathleen caught a glimpse of a Spartan, though it was too fast for her to tell who it was.

A strong and convicted voice spoke, though she couldn't see anything speaking so she supposed it was the voice of the source of the image. "Kill me or release me, parasite. But do not waste my time with talk!" Whoever the voice was, Kathleen liked him. She never was one for talk. As the voice filled the air she noted that Enre's fist's clenched.

A deeper voice echoed through the room as the recorded voice spoke. "There is much talk. And I have listened. Through rock and metal and time. Now I shall talk, and you shall listen." The image froze. Kathleen stared at it, the face of a new enemy, one like none she ever thought she'd face.

"At this time, the brutes had turned on us, spilled the blood of our brothers. The brutes did not see the same threat in the Flood, ignored it as they followed the prophets. Make no mistake." The gold elite turned toward Kathleen. "We who are in control see the threat of the Flood."

Kathleen shrugged. She didn't really see why she would care. The elites were her allies, she was going to fight the Flood, what more did she need to know?

"Before this incident, we did not think that the Flood could speak, or had conscious thought, but this has proven otherwise. Some ships have been taken over, and according to the demon known as the Master Chief, so has high charity, the Covenant's true flagship."

"One step at a time." Kathleen turned to the Captain as he spoke. "Right now, we'll just focus on the flood that might be here now." He then turned to Kathleen. "Learn to fight it now, Sergeant. Soon, you'll be fighting a lot more of it." Kathleen frowned at that, but for now she wouldn't question it. She simply nodded and focused on the new threat.

The gold armored elite stepped forward and tapped the control pad of the holotank. The image disappeared and the elite moved back over to Kathleen. "There are a few things that you will need to know. First, the Flood does show an undeniable desire to grow. If there is any opening in your armor, they will find their way in. The infection forms seem harmless, but if there are too many of them and you will be over run. Second, infection forms can reanimate any corpse, so it is best to destroy them. Save the fallen from being taken and used by the plague." The elite shifted uncomfortably. "For combat forms it is best to use…what do you humans call it, a shotgun?" The Captain nodded. "For the infection forms the use of smaller arms, what you call a battle rifle or SMG, whatever that is, are the most ideal. The elites of your team will be fitted with plasma rifles and energy swords as you call them."

"Is that all that we need to know?" Kathleen wanted to get preparing. They would need to gather supplies, get ammunition, plan for how to handle the Flood.

"There is one more thing. Fire." Kathleen frowned in confusion at the word. "Fire burns it. It is a great weapon against it. That is all that we can do to help you and the Field Marshall in your fight."

"There is one more thing." Kathleen turned to the Captain. "Your team will be issued a new experimental device. It is said to give a low level personal energy shield. Should give you a bit of a chance against infection forms."

Kathleen nodded. "Thank you, sir." She then nodded to the elite. "If you do not mind, my soldiers need to gather weapons, and we need to prepare for the fight."

"Be ready in three hours." Enre growled, motioning to the Zealots who fell into line behind him as he moved out of the room.

"Good luck, Sergeant Major. I hope that you won't need it." The Captain saluted.

Kathleen returned the salute. "Thank you sir, but I don't believe in luck. If we survive, we will because we are the strongest, and because humanity will not be beaten."

The gold armored elite chuckled. "I can see now why the Filed Marshall agreed to work with humans." He motioned to Kathleen. "Head out. There is little time, and the true great horror of his universe may await you."

Kathleen nodded, dropped her salute, turned, and walked out of the room. Her soldiers fell into line behind her and she could hear her steps perfectly matching with the soldiers behind her. Her mind was already working. They would need SMGs, full ammunition, most of them would need shotguns, but she'd have a couple take flamethrowers with them. If they would have to burn their way in, or out, then it would be useful. She made note of other things that they would need.

"Sarge?" Kathleen turned back to look over her shoulder at Tobias. "Ma'am, what are your orders?"

Kathleen thought for a fraction of a second. "Patrick, David, and Matthew will go retrieve the shield devices. Max, you'll insure that you have all supplies, and supplies to reseal suits. Tym, James, go get us three flamethrowers. The rest of us will gather SMGs, shotguns, ammunition, and incendiary grenades." She looked at Tobias. "What it is Corporal?"

"Ma'am, can we trust the elites? I mean, just a little while ago they were trying to cut us in half." Tobias made exactly how unconvinced he was evident.

Kathleen knew that she had her own reservations about working with the aliens, but she knew her orders, and how important this was. She also knew how much her soldiers seemed to lean on her opinion. If she voiced her worries, then they would worry as well. For now, she would have to push that aside. "We have been given our orders. We have a new enemy, a new mission, and the elites are our new allies. We will work with them as we have been ordered. If you have any reservations, remember, that we are doing this to save humanity just as we did against the brutes."

The soldiers nodded and Kathleen turned, heading toward the armory while the others moved off to do as they had been ordered.


	29. The Flood

Kathleen stared across the phantom at the elites who all stood in silence. She felt uneasy in the Covenant troop transport. She'd wanted to take a pelican, but out of courtesy for the fact the elites wouldn't be able to sit down in one they'd taken a Phantom. It sort of felt cramped in the ship. Not only were there her soldiers, Enre, and his four Zealots, but on top of that there were four ultra elites and five majors that had come with them. It seemed like overkill to Kathleen

Really she didn't care how many soldiers Enre brought. She was much more interested in the behavior of the elites. Maria had instructed them on a few basic customs of elites and oddly, they weren't practicing those customs.

They had been told about something called the write of union, which they usually recited before going into combat. Kathleen was wondering why they were not following that tradition. "Hey ,can I ask a question?" Kathleen looked back at Patrick who was looking at the elites.

Enre turned to look at the soldier. "Ask your question, human." He didn't seem at all happy, and Kathleen was glad she hadn't been the one that spoke up. If she had he probably wouldn't have been willing to even take the question.

"We were told about how you guys sometimes recite something about union or something. Why aren't you doing that?" Patrick was trying to be careful about how he worded the question.

The Field Marshal turned on him. "That writ of union is nothing more than a fallacy. A lie that we never should have lived." The elite turned back to the front of the ship. "Besides, we've never been that observant of the Covenant customs."

Several of her soldiers exchanged looks but none of them said anything. "You still follow the elite customs?" Kathleen had convinced Maria to teach them more about the basics of elite culture, what had originally been the elites customs alone, though they'd learned plenty of those customs from fighting the elites.

Enre glanced over at her. "Those are the only customs we have ever followed." The elite turned his gaze to the floor. There was an odd hint of sorrow in his voice. Kathleen let it go. There was no point in asking. She doubted that he would ever answer her question.

The phantom slowed and started to decent, and Kathleen checked over her weapon. Rather than their usual weapons she carried her standard SMG and a shotgun. She glanced back at James, Edward, and Tym who both were checking over the lines of their flamethrowers. If they did find the flood, she could take no chances.

The ship settled and the sides opened up. As one the elites and humans all moved out, jumping down to the ground. They were right outside a large gaping hole in the side of the wreckage. They scanned the area, looking for any signs of attack. "Would you like to take the lead or shall we be the ones?" Enre glanced over toward Kathleen, waiting for her reply.

Kathleen motioned to David and then Emile and waved them forward. "We'll take the lead." She moved in after her two soldiers. As soon as she had entered the darkness she flicked on her VISR. The space looked odd in the outline of the VISR. It had a bit of trouble for a moment following all the curves of the hallway. She glanced at her motion tracker, thrown for a moment by the large number of dots behind her. It seemed like a lot.

They had made their way down a few hallways before Emily gave a signal to stop. The soldiers froze and crouched; ready for whatever might be a threat. "What you got?" Kathleen scanned the area, trying to see what Emily had.

"Well, I'm not sure exactly what the Flood looks like, but I can see a sort of odd fleshy growth on the walls ahead." Emily edged forward. "I think it might be moving."

Kathleen eased her way forward until she was right behind Emily. She finally caught sight of what the other woman had seen. On the wall ahead was a large blob of brownish red which seemed to be moving slightly. Long roots spread from the blob out over the wall, clinging to the metal. She edged a bit more forward and saw that the growth continued on down the hallway. It spread over the walls, around the ceiling, spreading over the ground and around the space.

"Yeah, we got flood." Kathleen stood, looking around. "I don't see any infection or combat forms. I think we can move in, but we now know that we are fighting the flood." She paused for a moment before turning to the Field Marshal. "I don't know much about the structure here. If we wanted to blow this place into a ball of fire, how would we do that?"

Enre thought for a moment. "There is a storage room on this part of the ship. There should be some power cells there. If we place explosives there then it should make a big enough blast that it will burn all of the flood here."

Kathleen nodded. "I can go with that. Why don't you take the lead then, since I have no idea where the storage area is?" Kathleen took a step back, allowing Enre to take the lead.

"Very well then. I shall lead the way. Be careful, though. I do not know what touching those masses with cause." Enre moved forward, being careful to keep away from the blob. The others followed after him.

As they moved down the hallway the blobs became more and more frequent, and bigger. Kathleen was careful of them, and she could see her soldiers being the same. It seemed like they would make it to the supply room without any issue. That was until there was a loud popping sound behind them. Kathleen turned to find infection forms shooting through the air. The elites opened fire, plasma hitting the forms.

Kathleen opened fire with her own SMG, cutting down the small forms. A stray shot hit a second blob and it exploded, causing more to burst and the hall filled with infection forms. "Run!" Kathleen turned and started to run. She grabbed the shoulder of Enre's armor pulling him to follow with her. The soldiers took off at a run and Enre took the lead, turning corners until there were only a few infection forms left.

Tobias moved toward them. With precision his fists and feet struck the forms, causing them to burst. When the forms were all gone Tobias readied his rifle. Kathleen was a bit surprised by it. She hadn't thought that simple strikes like that would be enough to take out the Flood. Didn't seem as threatening to her now.

"Sir." Kathleen turned to one of the ultra elites who was kneeling. "I do not want to become one." He looked up and Kathleen saw the infection form that was burrowing its way into him. "I do not want to become a part of it."

Kathleen looked to Enre. The Field Marshal moved to the ultra elite and pulled out his energy sword, flicking it to life. The Ultra stood up as tall as it could, though it was obvious that he was having trouble keeping control of his body. "Die with honor." In a flash Enre struck. The energy sword cut through the elite's chest, cutting all the way through. He collapsed to the ground and Enre swung again, being sure there wasn't enough body left for the flood to use.

Kathleen looked at him as he moved over to her. He stared at her, seeming to lock gaze with her though her visor. He started to move away but Kathleen spoke. "So is it honorable for me to shotgun them in the chest?" He turned to look at her. "Or is it only honorable for you to use your sword on them?"

Enre didn't answer right away. "We are one team, to die at the hands of a superior warrior is honorable." Enre moved past her and started to move toward the storage room.

Kathleen sighed. That wasn't really a complete answer. She didn't know if they saw her as a superior warrior, or if, because she was human, she wasn't considered such. She was snapped out of her wondering when Luke spoke. "Sarge, I have a question." She looked to him. "If the flood is smart, since it can talk, then it should know we're here now. I'm kind of wondering, is it smart enough to lay a trap?"

Kathleen thought about that. "I don't know. Just because something can talk doesn't mean it can plan out a trap. We should still be careful." Kathleen moved to catch up with Enre. "We need to be keeping an eye open. We don't know exactly how smart the flood is."

Enre nodded. "We do not have much further to go. It is just a bit down this hallway. If we can then we will get in and out before the flood can do much. We should be more worried about whether there are any combat forms heading toward us now."

Kathleen nodded, following after the elite. They were stopped about ten yards down the hallway as Enre hit the controls. The door slid back and the soldiers moved in. The soldiers waited while Tym got to work setting the explosives. It took him five minutes before he finally gave Kathleen a thumbs up.

Kathleen nodded to Enre and they moved to the doorway. Kathleen motioned for Tym, James, and Edward to be ready with the flamethrowers. The door slid open and Kathleen moved out into the hallway. Enre mirrored her, checking the opposite direction.

"Should we go back the way we came in?" Enre looked down the hallway. There was no real noise in the area except for the movements of the soldiers. "If it would lay a trap then it would be the way we came in."

Kathleen shook her head. "If it was smart enough to lay a trap, it wouldn't just put it one way. If we go that way it will probably still have a trap set." She looked both ways. "I'd leave it up to chance but we tend not to have good luck."

"Well then tell me, what way does your instinct tell us to go?" Enre stared at her as he waited for an answer.

Kathleen thought about it for a second. "My instinct tells me back the way we went, and my head agrees. We know that way out, and we have swords, shotguns, and flamethrowers. We can fight out way out." Kathleen didn't know if it was the right choice, but it was what her gut told her.

Enre nodded. "A warrior should trust themselves. I will trust you. We will go back the way we came." The elite started to move and Kathleen fell into line behind him.

Kathleen kept her eyes open for any sort of signs that the flood was smarter than it had seemed. Still, she didn't see it coming. The bulk landed in the path before them, causing Kathleen to skid to a halt. The form before them had thick legs, a thin midsection that lead up to the bulky upper body and arms. There was a sort of protrusion that looked like it was supposed to be the head, complete with pincer like appendages from the side of the head. Kathleen wasn't sure how it was standing. The waist seemed to thin, even with the two side supports to try to keep up the large upper body.

The monstrosity raised the larger of its two arms and swung down. Kathleen pushed Enre to one side and dove to the opposite direction. Kathleen rolled to her feet, just in time to see the air fill with infection forms. The tank let out an odd roar-like sound before it started to turn toward Kathleen. She could see infection forms crawling over the tank as they leapt out toward any target. Kathleen heard the roar of elites, and the fire of bullets and plasma. For now she would stay more focused on the tank trying to kill her.

The tank had turned toward Enre, who's energy sword was at the ready. It seemed that the tank saw the sword as the greater of the two threats. The elite jumped out of the way as the tank struck, Enre's blade slicing through the tanks misshapen hand. Kathleen wasn't just going to stand by. She grabbed a grenade from her belt and tossed it. The grenade broke over the tank's back and fire spread over the creature's body. It flailed and tried to turn on Kathleen, but Enre stuck, sword cutting through the creature's head.

The tank fell and Kathleen turned to her soldiers. They were fighting off the infection forms as best they could, though the small enemies were hard to track. She turned to Enre to instruct him to have his soldiers run. Just as she did infection forms fell down from the sky above like rain. They landed on her and Enre, trying to get past their armor. Kathleen moved without even thinking. She ran toward the elite, tackling him, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly as they fell to the ground. She heard the pops as the infection forms broke under the force. She rolled over putting Enre above her and then once more under her. She sat up, turning toward her soldiers. "Flamethrowers up front, burn our way out." Her soldiers snapped to action, Edward and Tym taking the lead while James covered their rear. They bellowed fire as the infection forms tried to swarm them.

"Not really the right time to pick a fight." Enre struggled under Kathleen, trying to get up.

Kathleen stood up and got off of Enre. "Not the reason why I did it." She reached down, grabbing his chest armor and hauling Enre onto his feet. "Let's get moving. Just run for the exit, don't stop." Kathleen turned and started to run after the ODSS who were burning the lead. She had to slow as it was slower running with the flamethrowers. She fired on any infection forms that slipped past and threatened them. "Maria, have the phantom waiting for us."

"Understood, Sergeant," Maria replied.

It took them a while to finally reach the hole that they had used to enter the wreckage. When they reached the outside the phantom was waiting. Kathleen stood at the entrance, waiting until the flow of soldiers stopped before she moved toward the transport. She reached the underside of the phantom and was lifted up by the gravity lift used to pick up troops. When she landed inside she moved to one side. "Head out."

The phantom started to move away and Kathleen nodded to Tym. He pulled out a detonator and hit the button. She felt the ship shake and a bit of heat as the shockwave radiated out from the explosion. Kathleen let out a long breath and looked to the Corporal. "Will it burn the surrounding area?" Tym nodded. Kathleen was a bit more at ease. If any flood had gotten out, then it would have been burned by the fire.

Kathleen turned to Enre. "You all right?" He didn't reply and she frowned at his silence. She noticed that he was looking back at his troops. Out of the thirteen elites that Enre had brought, only four still stood. "What happened?" She didn't understand. The majors were all gone, only one ultra remaining, and three zealots still alive.

Tobias spoke up. "The infection forms started falling and they latched onto a lot of the majors. There elite armor isn't very guarded on the neck. They kept burrowing in." He looked to the Field Marshal. "We couldn't save them."

Enre finally looked up, looking over to the ODSS. "Did you let them be consumed?" Kathleen could feel the weight of his gaze. It was unsettling.

"We didn't let it take them." Tobias shifted his shotgun, indicating what they had done.

Enre nodded his head. "I am glad that they fell honorably. Better then becoming a part of that plague." Kathleen looked at him, wondering if he had just realized that by saying the deaths were honorable he was admitting he had some respect for her team.

Tobias turned to the Zealot beside Enre. "What happened to you? I thought an infection form got you but next thing I know you're fine."

The Zealot scratched at his neck. Kathleen could see where there was a cut in the armor. Blood seeped from the wound. "I do not know." The elite seemed disturbed by his own words. Kathleen couldn't blame him. She'd think it would be unsettling for an infection form to attack her, and then decide that it didn't want to.

Enre placed a hand on the Zealot's shoulder. "You are alive, that is what matters. Put it from your minds." The Field Marshal looked to Kathleen. "I have to admit, this could have gone worse."

Kathleen shrugged. "We could have all been killed and the flood take over the Earth." That was the worst case scenario that she could come up with. She shook her head a bit. "Looks like they might have chosen right. We do seem to work well."

Enre chuckled a bit. "I think you might be right." He reached out and Kathleen took the offered hand, clasping it. "At least when we work together I get to keep my jaw."

Kathleen smirked. "And I don't lose more of my armor." She paused for a moment. "Well it was nice working with you again."

Enre released her hand and turned toward the front of the phantom. "I do not think it will be the last time." Kathleen wanted to ask more, ask him to clarify, but she didn't. She let it be, just glad to have made it out of her first contact with the flood in one piece with all her soldiers.


	30. Shadow

Kathleen had seen the footage of the Covenant ships leaving, of the human ship with it. She didn't understand why they were being left behind. The UNSC had made it clear that they weren't sending any more through the portal to whatever was on the other side. Kathleen didn't know what was on the other side of the portal, but the prophet and all of the Covenant had followed. Kathleen stared at the screen which showed the glowing gateway that hung in the air. She wondered if Enre had gone through with them.

The door to the barracks opened and Kathleen snapped to attention. "Admiral on deck!" The ODSS all stood up and saluted as the man moved into the room.

The admiral nodded. "At ease." Kathleen dropped her hand but still stood rigid as she waited for the admiral to speak again. "I have some bad news for you. Right now there is a large Covenant ship on its way here, and it's carrying an army of flood." Kathleen stiffened more at the news. An army of flood? "Now, we still have three Spartans actually missing in action. The Master Chief went through the portal to find a solution to the flood that was promised to us by the AI, Cortana. The UNSC is relying on you all to stand as our main defense. Send you in on the toughest missions, where we need you the most." He looked around at the soldiers. "Now this is dangerous, and you have seen the flood. You know this won't be easy, but we have faith that you can do this. You won't be going in alone. You'll be working with a team called the Shadows."

Kathleen nodded. "We can handle it, sir. Are you sure that these shadows can keep up with us?" She didn't want to have someone dragging her team down.

The Admiral smiled a bit. "I am sure that they can. I'll send them down to you, and you can check them out for yourself." The Admiral's gaze looked over them one last time. "Rest up, marines. There's a long fight ahead of you." He turned and left the room.

Kathleen waited until he left before she turned back to the terminal. "Maria." The avatar of the AI appeared. "Show me what happened." Maria showed Kathleen footage of a meeting between Lord Hood, a shipmaster that was missing the lefts two jaws, an elite in dull gold armor that was like nothing she'd ever seen, and Captain Miranda Keys. She watched the footage, the AI's message, the Master Chief and Captain Keys deciding to go through. When the footage finished Kathleen crossed her arms.

Maria's head tilted to the side. "You seem uneasy, Sergeant. What is on your mind?"

Kathleen didn't answer right away. She was still processing what she'd seen. "I don't have much confidence in this plan that Cortana has promised. First of all, she's obviously rampant. It was noted she showed slight signs of rampancy when they returned from the Halo, but actions like that, she was corrupted, and we can't trust anything she's said. We have to assume that the Master Chief and the Covenant aren't coming back with any weapon to save us all from the flood. We will have to do all that we need to in order to insure that humanity is not lost to the flood."

"What about theses Shadow people?" Tobias shifted from where he was sitting on a bench.

Kathleen shrugged. "We'll have to see when they come down to visit us. Though if they are a drag then we'll have to put them on defensive duties while we do the real work."

"Do you think they are ONI spooks. I mean, that seems like what they'd send with us. I can't believe that ONI hasn't already been studying the flood. Seems like they'd be the kind of people that would think that knowing all the data would make them able to run with us." David was checking over his armor. They knew there would be flood so the soldiers were checking over their armor for any breaks.

"That is possible. The last thing I want is some tech in this unit that will put the mission first and possibly actually be working against us." Kathleen didn't like the idea of that. ONI couldn't be trusted, that was for sure. "If that's the case, you'll have to follow my orders directly, keep a close eye on the Shadows."

"I don't think I would be comfortable with spooks on our team. I mean, I don't think we can perform as well if we always have to look over our shoulder because the Shadows are planning to stab us in the back." Edward flicked his knife in an arch through the air before he caught it again. "I don't like it."

"We don't have much of a choice. Command has made this decision. Whatever it is, we have to follow the orders. We'll do that, win the fight, and we'll do it the ODSS way. The Shadows don't like it than then can stick it." Kathleen wanted to be sure her soldiers knew that no matter what she would see them through it, and she was still in charge.

The door to the barracks slid open and an elite walked in. Kathleen looked over the armor, having never seen something quite like it. The helmet had a similar sleek and swooping look that she'd seen of the Arbiter's helmet. The neck armor was split into four pieces like a series of spiked scales that went from the base of the helmet to just above the torso armor. Armor along the arm has a similar layered look. On the shoulder there were two scales of armor that looked like the outline of a house drawn by a child with the roof pointing up. On the forearm there were three which went from the wrist almost all the way to the elbow. On each of the plats was a simple triangle with two smaller ones on the longest sides. The waist armor wrapped around the elite, conforming to the joint so his legs. The leg armor had she same sharp and rounded look of the arbiter's armor. All along the under layer lines of light blue wrapped around the elite's body, connecting to the pieces of armor. The armor itself was a combination of light blue and black in patterns.

What Kathleen was focusing on wasn't the armor itself. She was focused more on the two mandibles of the elite. "Enre?" She looked the armor over again. "Did you get a promotion or something?"

The elite stared at her for a moment before he finally spoke. "I am Shadow Blade, the commander of the shadows. He moved forward and another elite appeared behind him, this one in similar armor but it was black and a dark blue, only three scales to his neck armor and only one layer of his helmet.

"Well that's good, I was worried that the Shadows would be a drain on my team." Kathleen looked toward the other elite. "And he is?"

Shadow blade looked back then toward Kathleen. "He is Shadow Claw, my sub-commander." He stood up a bit taller. "I assure you that we shall not be a drain on you or your team."

Kathleen frowned. "So you're all named Shadow something?" Shadow Blade nodded. "Well then I'll just call you blade. Why'd you change your name?" There was no reply. "It has to do with honor or something?" Blade nodded. "Whatever, as long as your ability to fight hasn't changed."

"I can assure you that I have not changed in my skills. The replacement of my armor, rank, and name have not changed the elite under all of that." Blade slammed his right fist against the left side of his chest. "You have already seen out skill against the flood."

Kathleen nodded. "Yeah, I have. Now, I do want some information from you. They said some ship is on its way here with flood. What kind of ship?"

"High Charity is the ship, the true Covenant flagship." Blade clenched his fists. "It is about half the size of a planet, and it is overrun with flood. We believe it is where the gravemind is. The thing that we saw speak in the Arbiter's footage. That thing was on the second halo that was found. It seems to have moved over to High Charity while it was there."

Kathleen shrugged. "I don't care how it got on it, I only care if we can kill it. A ship half the size of a planet covered in flood, all coming her to infest Earth. It doesn't sound like anything we can't handle."

Blade nodded his head. "I am sure that we will be able to win, or we will die trying. I have five soldiers in my team. That gives us seventeen soldiers who know how to fight this menace."

"Do they know when High Charity will reach Earth?" Kathleen was not sure how seventeen soldiers were going to complete jobs that probably would take a full company of marines, but they would have to do it. "And more importantly, who's in charge?"

"I was not told when High Charity would arrive. As for your second question, I do not understand what you are asking." Blade's head tilted to the side.

"I'm asking which one of us will give the orders. It didn't really come up in the last time we worked together, but it might come up in our future missions." Kathleen wasn't really willing to give up the command of her soldiers to anyone, not even Blade.

Blade didn't answer right away. "Well, I am not willing to give up power to you, so we will have to share. I will command my soldiers, and you will command yours. If we come to a large fight then we will exchange plans and whoever has the best plan will lead for that plan. Do you think you can put aside your pride long enough for us to work together, human?"

Kathleen smirked. "I don't have a problem at all with that. I will admit when you have a better plan, squid face." It felt good to be arguing with him again. "I will tell you I'm not going to play nice. You don't know my soldiers, I do. You dare to question any of their skills when I tell you they can do something, I will not hesitate to put you in your place."

"I would expect nothing less, as I am planning on keeping you in place, or have you forgotten that you lost to me twice in the past." Blade leaned in a bit closer to Kathleen. "I hope that we are clear."

Kathleen glared at him and in a flash her fist hit the side of his head. Blade stumbled back and growled as he looked toward Kathleen. "Yeah, we're defiantly clear, butter-knife."

Blade stood up tall. "What is a butter knife? And why did you hit me?" He took a step toward her but Kathleen stood her ground. "We are supposed to be on the same team."

"We are on the same team, and as my soldiers can tell you, I'm not above hitting them when they piss me off. If you can't take it then bugger off. As for a butter knife, it's a small blunt knife that's used to cut butter, a very soft spreadable substance." Kathleen stood up taller. "You got a problem with that."

"Yes, I have a problem. This butter thing sounds disgusting." The elite huffed. "As long as you don't mind me trying to kill you every ones in a while, go ahead and take your swings. I can give them right back."

Kathleen frowned a bit. "Don't knock butter until you've tried it. It tastes better than it sounds. Also, we should probably not try to kill each other. Can we agree on just beating the crap out of each other? Whoever pins the other to the ground wins?"

Blade seemed to consider this. "I suppose that you are correct, Sergeant. I can agree to your terms." He held out his hand. Kathleen took it and shook his hand. They let go and stood in silence for a moment. "Um…is there anything else?"

Kathleen didn't know what to say. She couldn't really think of anything else that she needed to talk to him about, but it felt odd to just have them leave. After all they were now on the same team, so to send him away felt wrong. "I can't really think of anything."

Blade nodded. "Very well, then have your soldiers muster in the training grounds in two of those things you humans call hours."

Kathleen raised an eyebrow. "And why would we do that?"

Kathleen wasn't sure if she'd ever seen an elite smile, but the slight shift of Blade's mandibles might have been one. "Because we're going to teach your soldiers how to wield a sword." With that he turned and left the room before Kathleen could react.

There was silence in the room for a moment. "Wait, does that mean we get energy swords." The joy was obvious in Tobias' voice.


	31. Assault

High Charity was not an easy thing to miss. When it appeared over Earth all eyes turned to the skies, gazing on the half-planet. For those that know what it brought with it High Charity was an omen of death now hovering over Earth. Across the planet soldiers were hurrying to battle stations, to dawn armor, and grab their guns.

Kathleen stood in the middle of the base, staring up at the new threat. Her team was ready for what they would face. They'd reinforced their armor to make it harder to penetrate. They'd modified a pelican specifically to be able to keep out any Flood.

"Are you ready?" Kathleen looked over her shoulder to Blade as he approached her. He stopped beside her before he spoke again. "This fight now is one for all our survival."

"My soldiers are ready." Kathleen returned her gaze to the sky. She stood beside the elite who had once been her worst enemy, the one she'd wanted to kill. The flood had changed all of that. After seeing what it could do she realized this was bigger than any one species. The lines were blurred between humanity and the Covenant when faced with this plague. She and Blade were now teammates, reluctant ones but teammates none the less.

"Sergeant." Maria cut through Kathleen's thoughts. "We have our first assignment. Seems High Charity dropped down some drop ships. We have blasted most of them out of the skies but a few have gotten through. It seems that three of them are heading for Canada. Command wants us to repel the flood from the area."

Kathleen understood. Deep in the forests of Canada were a group of power plants that provided power to most of Canada and parts of the upper United States including several major military bases. "Understood, Maria. Have the troops warm up our bird. We're heading out."

"Yes, ma'am. Oh, Sergeant, there is one other bit of news." Kathleen waited for Maria continued. Was there new news about the Spartans? "High Charity is moving toward the portal that was opened up over Africa."

"Understood, thank you, Maria." Kathleen turned to Blade. "We've got a place to go." The elite nodded and followed Kathleen across the base.

The pelican was already packed with elites and marines leaving very little room for Kathleen and Blade. With a bit of creative standing from the elites they managed to pile in with all their gear. As soon as the hatch was closed the chip rose up into the air, speeding off toward the cold north.

"Here's how things are going to go. There's no need for stealth so we're going to burn out way in. We'll even burn down the forest if we have to. We can't just bomb the area due to the power plant. We'll have to eradicate every last bit of flood on the ground. Any questions?" Kathleen looked over her soldiers.

James raised his hand. "Ma'am, I have one." Kathleen nodded for him to ask. "If the flood can consume humans and elites, then can it consume other species, like less intelligent ones, like say a bear?"

Kathleen didn't know the answer to that, but her elite counterpart did. "It can," Blade answered. "We have accounts of an infested outpost that had a small area you would call a zoo. The animals there were infected by the flood."

"Great, so we've got flood Covies, pure forms, and now maybe wild animals that are infected. This should be fun." Tobias bumped his fist against Tym's.

"We will see how much fun it is when we are on the ground." Shadow Claw leaned toward Tobias. "Maybe we should make it a competition, the five of us against your team."

Tobias thought about it. "How about we see who can kill the most. Blue Team, Red Team, Green Team, or the Shadows."

Claw growled. "You are on, flesh bag."

"Bring it split-lip." Tobias looked over to Tym who was staring at him. "What?"

"I'm about to get my hands on a device that projectile vomits fire onto everything and you want to compete against me?" Tym looked to Claw. "You're going down squid face."

"We will see, human, we will see." The way Claw said 'human' made it clear he was using it as an insult.

"We are about to fly into an area filled with parasites that devour all sentient life and they have made it into a competition." There was a hint of amusement to Blade's voice.

"What, scared of losing? Want to back out?" Kathleen taunted. There was a very fine line she walked between hatred and friendship with Blade. They both still wanted to kill each other but Kathleen was finding that she saw the elite more and more every day as a teammate.

"In your dreams, Demon." Blade leaned in a bit as he growled. Kathleen was learning to read elite emotions, not an easy feat with their segmented jaws. From the looks of it blade was taking the challenge seriously. At the same time there was a hint of amusement in his features. Kathleen had, for a while, suspected that a part of it was his desire to outdo her was due to the fact she could actually give him a run for his money. He seemed to relish any challenge she gave him. This was no exception.

The pelican finally slowed and started to dip toward the ground. Inside the troops grabbed extra ammunition for their weapons. They checked over the protective layers of their armor before each grabbed a flamethrower. Kathleen prepared her own weapon while Maria ran a check on her armor. Luke joined them, preparing his own gear.

The rear hatch opened and two-by-two the soldiers filed out. Kathleen looked over the area, assessing the damage. There were carrier forms waddling here and there. A few combat forms turned toward them and started to run. Infection forms swarmed and the marines let lose. Fire engulfed the small forms, clearing the way. They stopped and stepped back, allowing the elites to move up. They dashed with they clashed with the combat forms, slicing through them with ease.

The soldiers started to move toward the reactors, knowing that was where the flood would really want to strike. Their strategy was working well, allowing them to make their way through the area. They met a few pure forms but Kathleen had yet to see any animals that had been infected. They burned the vine like growths that were crawling up walls, clearing the way.

When they reached the main building that controlled the reactors Kathleen set aside her flamethrower. She motioned for Emily and Edward to do the same and for them to join Blade in having her back when she entered. They made their way up the stairs to the main door and Kathleen redirected her shotgun.

Kathleen was not ready for the great force that slammed into her chest and flying down the stairs. She hit the ground, pinned under some kind of feline. It reminded her of a cross between a tiger and a leopard. It was obviously flood infected. It's jaw was torn and barely holding together as it tried to bite into Kathleen's helmet. Growths covered it, deforming the bright yellow of its hide and disturbing the reddish orange jagged stripes along its body.

Kathleen's hands pushed against its neck, trying to keep it away as the creature's fangs tried to crack through her helmet. It suddenly let go and Kathleen's fist collided with its head, sending it rolling off of her. She looked to see Blade standing over her. She got to her feet just in time to see the creature being burned.

Kathleen looked to Blade but he said nothing. She assumed it was a creature that must have been being held on High Charity. She wondered what other kinds of pets do the Covenant Keep?

They moved into the building and found the walls covered with flood growths. The soldiers moved carefully, being sure not to bump anything. There was an odd quite to the building. No people, no fighting, just all-consuming flood. And some soldiers trying to stop it. Their steps echoed, making the entire situation feel unnerving.

Kathleen moved to open the door but blade stopped her. For a second she thought he was doing it to show that he was in charge but when Kathleen really examined the look on the elite's face she saw differently. The down side of Blade's armor was that there was no helmet visor to hide his emotions. She could see the hint of concern on his face. She knew it well. It mirrored the feeling she got when one of her soldiers was hurt after she'd sent them ahead. Kathleen backed off, letting him take the lead. She stood behind him, at the ready.

Kathleen was starting to think today was not their day for opening doors. As soon as the door slid open something hit Blade, sending him flying back into Kathleen. They hit the wall and something popped behind Kathleen, dropping her shield to half. Red warnings flashed on Kathleen's HUD as smaller pops drained her shield completely. The words 'armor breach' flashed for a second before pain shot from Kathleen's neck down over her shoulders. Blade's hand slammed down on Kathleen's shoulder and the pain numbed. Kathleen looked up to the elite but his gaze was on the door. The tank that had hit Blade stood in the doorway, unable to get through.

Tym stepped forward and shot a burst of flame. The fire spread over the tank, devouring the parasite. It flailed before it fell to the ground, engulfed by the flames. "Five points to Slytherin."

"Wow, way to use a classic book reference." Tobias and Matthew entered the room, followed by Emily and Edward. They cleared out the growths and combat forms still in the room.

"Twenty points to…wait, what house are we?" Emily kicked the sniper she'd just killed, looking over the combat forms they'd killed.

"Ravenclaw," Tym answered. "Cause you're blue." He moved into the room, helping to incinerate the dear forms.

"Cool, so we're the house full of smart people." Emily set her hands on her hips. "Seems appropriate. We are the most awesome team."

"Yeah but Gryffindor is the one that always wins." Tobias set his flamethrower down, stretching a bit. "That means when it's all tallied up, we'll be the winners."

Kathleen ignored her soldiers, brushing off Max's concern about the breach. She pulled Maria out of her suit and plugged the AI into the system. "Run a system check and if there's a security system then have it check for how much flood is around."

"Yes, ma'am." Maria's avatar appeared on a screen. There was a slight pause before Maria spoke again. "I don't have good news."

"Hit me, I can take it." Kathleen breached for the worst.

"First, the facility is surrounded and the flood is closing in." Okay, that was bad news but not anything that they couldn't handle. "Second, the flood is in the reactor. They're cutting the lines out of the reactor from inside the reactor."

Now that was very bad news. The flood was trying to cut off the country from its power supply. It was what she'd expected but she hadn't expected it from inside of the reactor. "Can we get all them?"

"I'm afraid not." A schematic of the reactor appeared. A red dot flashed over the main lines out of the reactor. "As you can see they are too close to the reactor. None of your suits can take the radiation, that is if the high voltage doesn't fry you first."

Kathleen thought for a second, deciding on a new course of actions. It wasn't what she wanted to do, but they needed to remove the flood from the planet and she saw no other choice. "Maria, shut off all coolant to the reactors."

"What are you going to do?" Blade didn't seem to understand what her orders meant. Kathleen wondered how much he knew about how reactors worked.

"It means I'm going to have this place go critical. We can't get to the flood so power's going to be cut off anyway. This was we also take out any flood in the surrounding area." Kathleen turned back to Maria. "Shut down all safety measures and see if you can find any other ways to speed up the melt down.

"Yes, ma'am. Are you sure about this? It will do a lot of damage to the local ecosystem." Maria's avatar reappeared, seeming hesitant.

"The flood will do more damage, and not just to this area, but to the whole planet. Do what I've ordered, soldier." Kathleen turned back to her soldiers. "Get your dragons ready, we're going to have to burn out way to our wings."

"Dragons, now that would be something useful to have." Emily reloaded her shotgun, replacing the few shells she'd used on the combat form. "Flying creatures that could burn the flood. Now that would be awesome."

"Unfortunately ONI decided surgically enhancing humans was more useful than genetically creating dragons so I'm the best you've got." Kathleen checked the security feet, being sure the hallways were still clear.

"Are you trying to tell us you breath fire, Sarge?" Matthew chuckled as he hefted his flamethrower.

"Want to piss me off and find out?" Kathleen could almost see Matthew's smile behind his visor. They were about to walk out into a ton of flood while trying to get away before the reactor before went into full belt down and her soldiers were cracking jokes. It meant that even with the danger, they were ready. Good, then they'd have no problem with her new plan.

"Now everyone remember, when the reactor blows, don't look back at it." Tobias turned around to allow Tym to check over his armor for any breaches. "Badasses don't look back at the explosions they cause." He noticed the elites seemed confused. "Being a badass is a good thing." He motioned to everyone in the room. "We are badasses. We know there's going to be an explosion but we've seen so many we're bored of them. That's the heroic badass."

"Since when have you been a hero?" Emily gave Edward a thumbs up before she moved to allow Edward to look her over. "Don't you usually get surrounded and Tym has to grenade a few of them to save you?"

"See, I see so many explosions that I'm bored by them." Tobias grinned and Emily shook her head turning back to see Edward giving her a thumbs up.

Maria's chip popped out of the computer and Kathleen slotted it into her armor. "All right, time to light the fuse and walk away, completely ignoring the danger." Kathleen moved to the door. She raised her shotgun and motioned to David. He opened the door and for once that day there was nothing on the other side. Kathleen motioned David and Patrick forward. They made their way down the hallway, burning all the growths on the walls as they went.

As they reached the exit Emily ran forward to the door release. That was when their door-opening luck ran out. As the door slid back Emily was faced with what looked to be a monster bird. It looked to be similar to the Moa on Reach but it was taller and had growths over it from where the flood had grown. The bird's leg kicked out, long flood mutated claws tearing through Emily's side. The female marine fell to the ground, blood starting to pool on the ground. Before the bird could attack again Edward was standing before it, barrel of his shotgun pressed against its chest where the infection form had made its home. Edward fired, sending a spray of flood infected blood and organs into the air before the bird fell.

Kathleen moved to cover them as more combat forms arrived. Edward picked Emily up and the others moved forward, burning the way ahead. The flood was swarming and were making it hard to move. The flood had infected some local animals and Kathleen recognized beast and cougars in the swarm. Kathleen also spotted an assortment of animals that she didn't recognize. There were a couple large beast that looked similar to over grown boars trying to ram the pelican while a large lizard creature clawed at the top of the ship.

Luck spread fire along the side of one of the boars. "Get away from my baby." The second boar tried to attack him but Peter intervenes, stopping it with a billow of flames.

Blade climbed to the roof of the pelican, facing the lizard creature. It jabbed its tail at the elite but Blade swung, cutting the spaded end off of the creature's tail. It let out a gurgled hiss and leapt forward, tackling Blade off of the pelican. They hit the ground and the lizard roared in Blade's face, spraying sickening spit in the elite's face. Max's flamethrower slammed into the side of the creature's head, knocking it to the side. The lizard scrambled to its feet, turning to face max. Blade stepped forward, sword flashing forward. The beast fell as the infection form inside was pierced.

The elite moved into the pelican first clearing out the flood inside. They tossed out bits and pieces of three combat forms before motioning that it was all clear. Luke dropped his flamethrower, racing into the pelican. He fired up the engines and the other ODSS moved onto the ship. Several dropped their flamethrowers and made a break for it. Kathleen moved into the pelican and turned toward the back.

Once everyone was inside Luke took off. There was no up and off. He angled up and gunned it as soon as they were off the ground. It was a risky maneuver, but Luke was one of the few that could really pull it off safely. The pelican roared through the air, trying to get as far away from the reactor as possible.

"All right everyone, remember not to look back." Tobias strapped himself in, being sure that he was secure. "Cold and aloof people."

A shock wave hit the pelican, causing it to drop fifty feet down toward the ground. Kathleen grabbed the inside of the ship, forcibly making a handhold to keep herself steady. The pelican evened out and rose up to proper height. Kathleen lessened her grip on the metal, looking over at the dent she'd made in the ship. They'd survived, but now was the time to move on to her new plan.

Kathleen quickly checked on her team. Matthew, James, and David sat back, just glad to have survived. Patrick looked to be hacking into something. The way the held his datapad close and was hunched over gave away his activity. Kathleen assumed he was checking how the planet wide fight against the flood was going so she let him go. Peter was sitting beside the pilot's seat, just watching his partner fly the pelican. Tym and Tobias sat in the back, trying to explain what a badass was to the elites.

Kathleen's focus turned to the final three members of her team. They'd laid Emily down on the floor of the pelican so that Max could work on her wound. The medic marine was patching up Emily's side who was struggling to keep herself conscious. Emily gripped Edward's hand to the point Kathleen was sure it would be bruised. Edward seemed unfazed by the pain as his free hand rested on the side of his partner's helmet. It was not often that Edward showed genuine emotion but at the moment all those careful walls that kept his feelings hidden were gone. He was openly showing his concern for Emily.

Kathleen found herself hesitating. Her plan was stupid and reckless, and would likely get them all killed. She wanted to give them a choice, let them decide if they wanted to follow her or not. She knew that they would, there was no question in her mind, but she didn't want to force them. She'd admit to herself that she wanted to give them a choice for her own selfish needs, to keep herself from feeling the guilt if someone was hurt. Watching Edward openly worry over Emily made her second guess her plan. Giving them a choice would decrease her own guild but she couldn't do it. To give them the option would force Edward to have to decide between his partner's life and his team. She decided that even though it may haunt her she couldn't pass that guilt and blame on to her team. She was their leader, and she'd spare them from having to make the hard choice.

"What now?" Kathleen turned to look back at Blade as he spoke. There was a look in his eyes that said he was ready for whatever was next. Kathleen wouldn't give them a choice either, though if they wanted to challenge her she'd let them go.

Kathleen turned to Max. "When can you have her ready for combat?" Max looked up at her and she could feel his surprise. "Maria, how long would it take us to reach High Charity and how long until High Charity reaches the portal?"

"At our rate of speed we'll reach High Charity within ten minutes of when it will be able to go through the portal." Maria sounded confused, not really sure about what was going on. "It will take us a couple hours though to reach it.

Kathleen looked down to Max and he shifted his attention back to Emily. "I can have her patched up in that amount of time."

"All right, here's the plan. We're going to board High Charity before it goes through the portal. Once we're on we're going to find High Charity's reactors and do what we did at the power plant, cause them to make a big boom." Kathleen looked around and saw that there was still some confusion. "If we don't take out High Charity then it will just spread flood all through the universe. We can't let it continue and the only way I can think to stop it is blow the whole thing sky high."

The marines were silent and she took that as none of them were going to fight it. Blade shifted, seeming a bit confused. "Wouldn't such an explosion damage your planet?"

"That's why we have to wait till it's on the other side of the portal before we have it blow up. When it does then it will be far away from Earth and we just have to be sure that we get off it before it blows up." That last part of the plan was the only part that she wasn't sure about. The chances of being able to make it out alive were slim, but they had to try. "Maria, inform command of what we're doing."

"Don't you mean ask command permission?" Maria asked.

"No, I mean tell them. I'm not asking permission." Kathleen sat down and she looked around and saw that a few of her soldiers were uneasy, probably silently questioning what they were going to do, while the rest seemed to be simply preparing themselves. Blade moved to stand before Kathleen and she looked up at him. "What?"

"Healer, will you please look over the Demon when you are finished. She needs to have her armor breach repaired and insure that the flood has not infected her." Blade continued to stand before her.

"Do you have something to say to me?" Kathleen was starting to get annoyed. It was like she was being examined. Maybe he didn't like the plan and was questioning her sanity.

"No, just being sure that you don't suddenly turn flood on us." Blade made it clear he wasn't going to move. Kathleen sat back, closing her eyes to get some sleep before they reached High Charity.


	32. High Charity

Kathleen was glad to see Emily up and moving. She'd woken up about half an hour ago but had only just been able to climb into a seat minutes ago. When she'd been told of the plan she'd assured Kathleen she'd be ready to fight by the time they reached High Charity. She was currently sitting a seat leaning against Edward. Edward had gone back to his cold unemotional self once Emily had worked up. Still he kept close to Emily and the hand touching her leg was the only sign of worry from him.

Kathleen flinched as something struck a nerve. "Sorry, ma'am." Kathleen didn't look back at Max when he spoke. He'd told her to stay still so she would. She felt the pain in her shoulder lessen as something was pulled from her neck. Max held out the spike for Kathleen to see. "Thing nearly hit your spine. You got lucky, ma'am."

"I don't believe in luck." Kathleen turned her gaze to Blade who was still watching her like a lion watching an antelope. "Thanks, half-face." The elite simply huffed. "Maria, update."

"Approximately ten minutes until arrival at High Charity. Twenty until High Charity can go through the portal, Sergeant." Maria seemed overly calm. Kathleen wondered if she realized exactly how worried she should be. If Kathleen went down in the field or was forced to be left behind, she'd have to erase herself. Maybe she was just thinking about it, like Kathleen wasn't thinking about how if one of her soldiers were infected she'd have to kill them.

"How did command take my decision?" Kathleen was sure she'd made it clear that there would be no talking her out of this. Missions like this, the suicidal long shots were what ODST were made for. The suicidal impossible plans were why the ODSS existed.

"They took it rather well." Kathleen was a bit surprised by the news. "Seems they are just as eager to blow that thing apart as you are."

"Hear that?" Kathleen's soldiers all turned to her. "We got FLEETCOM's approval. So if any of us make it out of this we don't have to worry about rebuke for going AWOL." A tension eased away in the air. Still an odd fear hung in the air. No, fear wasn't the right word. It was more of the imminent outcome that they all saw. They may have Command's approval, but that wasn't going to help them come back alive.

Max patted her shoulder armor, indicating he was finished patching the breach. Kathleen reached back and felt where she knew the infected form had stabbed her. She didn't want to think about how close she'd come to being infected. They were about to drive straight into a planet sized ship of flood. There were going to be many more close calls in the future.

The pelican eased into silence, like it did right before a mission. Kathleen looked around and was proud to see that her solders seemed to be treating this no differently than any other mission. They knew their mission, knew their duty. And what they might have to give up in order to get the job done. She wondered if this would actually be the end of their run. This was a dangerous mission. Either they were underestimating their enemy, or they'd just gotten used to this kind of thing as normal. One thing was for sure. After this mission, fighting a brute was going to be a cake walk.

"Approaching High Charity," Luke announced. "I'll see if I can find a parking space." The pelican turned as Luke looked for a way in. Kathleen prepared her weapons, having no idea what might be waiting for them. "Taking hostile fire."

"The flood must have found a way to activate and work the defenses." Blade moved to the front of the ship. He pointed somewhere that Kathleen couldn't see. "There, those are docking bays. They seem to be covered but there are no solid walls. You may be able to break through."

The pelican shook and Luke cursed. "Well, we're about to find out. They took out an engine. Everyone hang tight, we're making a crash landing."

Kathleen grabbed the roof above her, knowing that the security straps wouldn't be able to hold her and her armor in place during a crash. She could feel the ship dive and hoped that whatever was covering the bay was softer than a speeding pelican.

The pelican hit and for a few seconds the world was chaos. Kathleen was thrown from her seat, causing her to hit one of the standing elites. The world shook and Kathleen forcibly made a hand hold in the floor. She felt the metal under her hand heat as the ship slid over metal. They finally came to a stop and Kathleen was sent forward, causing her helmet to slam against the floor. It caused stars to explode across her vision but they cleared seconds later.

Kathleen's mind cleared and she forced herself to move. Her body hurt a bit but she couldn't let it get the best of her. She looked around at her soldiers who all seemed to have the same feeling. Edward was helping Emily get unstrapped but she refused to let him help her stand. The elites seemed fine, though the one Kathleen had hit was a bit unsteady. She winked a green light and was pleased to see twelve return the gesture.

"Luke, you suck at parking." Tobias grabbed his SMR which had been sent flying during the crash. "If you were thinking of becoming a valet, don't."

Luke flipped him the bird. "I'd like to see you try to do better. At least you didn't go flying out of the windshield or something." He finally got the safety harness undone and moved from the pilot's seat.

"All soldiers accounted for, ma'am." Maria announced. "A few bumps and bruises but it seems that there are no major injuries." The medial stats scrolled over Kathleen's HUD. "Approximately eight minutes and forty seconds until High Charity reaches the portal."

Kathleen turned to look at Blade. "You seem to know a bit about this place. Have any idea where the reactors are?" She didn't want to admit this was the first time she'd thought about how to find their target.

Blade stared at him as though he just realized how badly thought out this plan was. It was too late to back out now so they commander brushed it aside. "I know the location. I can lead the way to them."

Kathleen nodded. "Blade takes the lead. Keep close and remember the look not just around but up. Watch your partner's back." She moved to the rear and the controls for the back hatch. Blade joined her, duel plasma rifles at the ready. "I've got your back out there, half-jaw."

Blade nodded. "As do I, heretic." There was something almost funny about hearing him say that word. Kathleen hit the hatch release and the rear of the pelican slid open. Blade moved out and Kathleen was right behind him.

The docking bay was empty of any attacking flood but there were blobs of flood here and there on the walls and floors. The place in the wall of flesh they'd broken through was already starting to patch itself. It was nauseating to watch the flesh more as it grew to fill the space. Kathleen looked away, unable to watch it any longer.

Kathleen motioned to Blade for him to take the lead. The commander moved across the docking bay and Kathleen stuck close. The soldiers spread out a bit in a semi-loose formation. They were close enough they could help each other if flood attacked, but not so close that if anyone popped the sacks that carried infection forms it wouldn't hurt more than one of them. They stuck to the uncovered parts of the bay, avoiding the bits of food flesh that covered parts of the floor.

Blade moved to a set of boor controls but they didn't respond to his attempts to activate them. The elite reached for his energy sword but Kathleen stopped him. Blade looked to her and put on what she identified as a sangheili frown. "This is the way to we must go."

Kathleen motioned for him to move to the side and he complied. He watched, fascinated as she pulled back her fist and slammed it against the door where the two halves met. Two more hits and the metal was bent back. She peeked in but it was dark on the other side. Her VISR system either couldn't reach through the hole or there was nothing that could be outlined in her view. Kathleen pulled a six-inch rod from one of the supply pouches on her chest armor. It was a simple road flare, but all the ODSS carried them. They usually used them to distract grunts. Lob one across a courtyard or down an ally and the short aliens would run toward it like moths to a flame, gladly presenting the backs to a marine with a knife. Kathleen had a different use for the flare right now, though.

Kathleen broke off the cap of the flare and the tip burst to life. Kathleen shifted it in her hand and with a flick of her wrist shot it through the hole. It bounced a few times on the ground before finally stopping about ten feet from the door.

The flare caused the other side of the door to be bathed in a crimson red light. Kathleen looked around as best she could. The hallway was completely covered by the flood. There was something unnatural in how the red light played on the sickly yellow brown of the flood. She could see a few growth sacks, but over all there was no movement on the other side.

Kathleen looked to Blade who was watching her carefully, seemingly fascinated by what she was doing. Kathleen brushed it off. She figured he was just interested in how she was going about it differently than him. Kathleen supposed she would have been just as fascinated to see him cut through the door with his sword. "Well?" Blade shifted, eager to learn what she'd seen.

"No combat or pure forms. Wouldn't put it past the flood to put a sack on the door seam though." Kathleen grabbed one side of the bend door. "Be ready to play whack-a-flood." Blade balled his fists and took a ready stance. Kathleen put her other hand on the second half of the door and forced them open. There was a pop over her head and she felt the infection forms land on her. She stood still, prepared for Blade to swat them off. She wasn't expecting the full weight of him to slam into her and cause them to fall to the ground. The infection forms between them popped and she heard her team carefully open fire on those that crawled around them.

Blade's weight lifted from her back and just as she was getting up a hand gripped her arms, pulling her up a bit roughly. She looked back to see Blade checking her over for any breaches. "I'm fine." She turned her attention back to the hallway. It looked even odder when she saw it fully.

The flare still gave off enough light that she could see. Now that she could really see the hallway she could swear the flesh on the walls was moving a bit. Maybe it was just her imagination, maybe not, either way she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Kathleen moved carefully forward. She raised her foot to step onto the flesh that covered the floor and felt the soldiers behind her tense, preparing for action. Her boot settled on the soft substance and it felt weird, like walking on dead bodies. She put her weight on the foot and sank down just a bit as the flesh accepted the weight. The other food joined the first and she looked around. Nothing had attacked her. At least there was that.

Blade joined her and she glanced down at his feet. Unlike hers there was less material between his skin and the flood. She wondered how it felt to him. He sniffed the air and let out a low growl. There was a look in his eyes, a look she'd only seen those times when he'd been so close, blade ready, fighting her in an effort to kill her. No, there was something missing from his gaze. That spark of joy over having an opponent with some skill wasn't there, only the hatred.

"This place looks as it secretly always was. Filled with parasites that would devour and destroy our species," Blade muttered. They stood in silence for a moment and Kathleen could swear she heard very deep breathing, though it wasn't coming from her team or the elites. Blade looked to her as though he'd been expecting some sort of response to his comments, for her to agree with him. She said nothing and a look she was unfamiliar with crossed his features. His eyes narrowed and the two mandibles moved closer together than what seemed natural.

Whatever was going on in Blade's head didn't seem hostile so Kathleen brushed it aside. As long as he didn't turn on her he could think about whatever he wanted to. Kathleen started to move down the hallway, keeping her steps careful to avoid large growths and insure she kept her footing. Kathleen checked her motion tracker and noted the seventeen dots around her. The flood under food made no sound as they walked over it so she couldn't hear them as they moved, only feel them.

It unsettled her that they hadn't been attacked. The flood was a parasite, determined to consume every living thing, but it wasn't stupid. A voice in the back of her head told her that it might be setting up a trap, or gathering combat and pure forms to swarm them. She tightened her grip on her rifle, looking for any signs of ambush or enemies ahead. Blade pulled a bit ahead, once more leading the way. He was crouched slightly, his muscles bunched in anticipation for an attack. At least she wasn't the only one on edge.

The ground under them suddenly lurched and Kathleen had to widen her stance to stay standing. "Maria, what's happened?" She checked her mission clock. By her math they had a few minutes before they reached the portal.

"High Charity has gained speed. It will reach the portal in approximately one minute." The AI's voice hinted at her annoyance. "I didn't know it could move this fast."

"Sarge, I have a question." Kathleen looked back at James. "This place isn't in the best condition. Can it handle a trip through slip-space?"

It was a good question, and Kathleen didn't know the answer.


	33. Fighting through

For the fact that High Charity was over fifty percent flood Kathleen was surprised how well it stayed together as they went into slip-space. Maybe it was tougher then she thought. Though over all that wasn't good news. Even worse, it was proving to be smarter.

As soon as they'd left normal space the flood must have known that they were now trapped on the ship. To jump into the nothingness of slips space would have been a death sentence for any living thing. As soon as there was no way out, the flood made its move. The call of combat forms filled the air and infection forms started to swarm though the small gap in the door from the bay. David and Max turned, spraying the infection forms with bullets. A few stray shots hit a pair of the sacks along the side of the wall and they burst. Infection forms were short forth in a burst of green spray.

"Run!" The hallway was much too tight and small for them to take on any enemies. There wasn't even anything that they could use as cover so they could bottle neck their enemies. She'd rather find a better spot than the enclosed space where to tanks could take them out in a second.

The soldiers took off at a full run down the infected hallway. They reached a fork in the hallway and Kathleen slowed to allow Blade to take the lead. The elite moved to the right so Kathleen followed right behind him. His head moved back and forward and Kathleen cursed. "Do you know where you are going?"

"Do I look like I know where I'm going? This place is a greater puzzle then an Arum." Kathleen didn't really know what he was talking about, but then again he often mentioned things from his culture that she didn't understand. "I cannot count the passages as likely some of them are completely covered. For all we know some of the passages might actually have been created by force by the flood into rooms that shouldn't be accessed by that direction."

Kathleen wanted to argue but he was right. Everything about this place said that the flood had optimized it for its own purposes. They could no longer truly trust Blade's knowledge of the ship. "Do we at least know in general where we should be heading?"

"Down." Any further explanation was cut off as something dropped from the ceiling above. Kathleen dodged to the side just in time to see the stalker form start to jerk and the bits of it mutate and grow as it transformed into a tank form. The creature raised its arm to strike at her. Before it could attack the neon blue flash of an energy sword slashed through the creature's chest and the tank fell to the ground. Kathleen got to her feet and grabbed her shotgun. SMGs wouldn't cut it for pure forms like tanks.

Needles shot through the air, though the lack of the familiar bright pink made it obvious they weren't needler shards. Kathleen moved forward and tackled Blade back into the cover of what had likely been an access terminal that was now nothing more than a large bit of flood flesh with a single patch of metal remaining. The shots from the ranger forms hit the ground where they'd stood and shattered on impact.

A shot from a sniper rifle rang out and one of the sources of the needles stopped. Two more shots and all of the needles stopped. Kathleen looked back to see Peter crouched in the middle of the passage way, sniper rifle still smoking. "I've got combat forms, infection forms, and about three more stalkers coming our way. Two unidentified species combat." Peter moved to the side where Luke already had his back pressed to the wall. "I swear one of them looked like a rhino," Peter added.

Blade tapped Kathleen's shoulder. "What is a rhino?"

"It's a large creature, very heavy, has tough skin, and horns." Kathleen made sure her shotgun was loaded. "All right, marines, show no fear." With that she moved out of cover and toward her enemies. She took in the situation and wasn't happy. It was worse than Peter had reported. What the sniper hadn't been able to see was a cluster of about ten stalkers hiding behind a growth that were now on the moved. Above there were ledges of flood that looked like rings of fungus on the side of a tree. From them combat forms jumped down to the lower levels. Down in a debit to Kathleen's right she spotted a few dead elite and brute bodies which were the target of a group of infection forms.

Four of the stalkers on the ceiling started to mutate and the tan needles started to grow as they shifted into range forms. Plasma shot through the air as the elites opened fire on the long range flood. She knew they would be able to handle them so Kathleen decided to focus on the enemies on the ground. The remaining stalkers had dropped from the roof and were now shifting into the larger tank forms. "Blue tanks, Green newly risen, Red combat forms." Acknowledgment lights flashed on her HUD and the soldiers got to work.

Kathleen saw green team move up on her right toward the dead bodies that were not swarming with flood. Infection forms burrowed into the bodies and quickly fleshy growths appeared and the bodies stood up, mutating into the twisted combat forms only long enough for Green team to blow them apart with shotgun blasts.

Kathleen turned her attention back to the tanks before her that were charging toward them. Kathleen moved to the closest one and shoved the barrel of her gun into the space between the two tentacles of its 'face' where the red fuzz tipped antenna protruded. She fired and a shower of flesh and green goo sprayed forth, covering her and the area around her. The tank body fell to the ground. They'd learned long ago that wherever the antenna were located was usually where to aim in order to kill them quickly.

Kathleen turned to see Emily taking down a tank to her left while Edward dodged under a strike from a tank while a second was coming up behind him and a third charged toward the others. Before Kathleen could move into action Edward had shoved his shotgun into the face of one of the tanks while pointing a pistol at the head of the tank behind him. He fired and the shotgun obliterated the upper part of the first tank and a single round tore right through the second tank hitting directly where the antenna were. Edward ducked down and Emily jumped over him, pointing her shotgun and firing. The shot was a bit distanced but the shot caused the tank's chest to erupt into bits and pieces. The tank staggered and Edward moved forward, stabbing a knife into the creature's face.

Kathleen made note of the fact that Emily's shot was much too far away. She'd have to critique her on that later. Kathleen spun and found herself faced with two tanks. She stepped to the side as one hammered its fist to the ground where she'd stood. She raised her shotgun but before she could something hitter her from the back. A brute combat form depleted her shields before it flew into bits as Tobias shot it. She was just regaining her footing when the clawed arm of a second tank struck her in the side. She felt pain lace along her left side and she could only hope that the damage wasn't too bad. Without thought she moved, blasting the closest tank in the head with her shotgun. It fell to the ground and she saw the one behind it crumple to the ground. Edward stood nearby, one hand covered in the green blood of the parasite. Kathleen wanted to rebuke him for doing something so reckless but she had told them no fear, and punching a tank in the face was lacking any fear at all.

The two remaining tanks lumbered forward but they were both cut down by elites as they moved past, energy swords striking out just long enough to cut through the pure forms before they returned to the ready at the alien's sides.

Kathleen realized that the needles had stopped so the elites had done their part. Green team joined up with while red team did a sweep around the area for any remaining foes. Kathleen took this time to check over her side which still ached. She looked down and found that the tank's spiked arm had sliced through the under layer of her armor and cut through her skin. She pressed her hand to her side and tried to will the pain to stop. She shouldn't have made that sort of mistake. She should have been more aware.

Kathleen looked over her shoulder as the elite towered over her, standing at his full height. "Are you all right?" Blade asked.

Kathleen nodded, looking around at her soldiers. She frowned as she realized that Emily was leaning against Edward and his arm was around her waist to hold her up. Kathleen cursed that in the heat of a fight she'd forgotten about her soldier's condition. She wasn't healed from what had happened at the power plant. If she'd been fully thinking she could have ordered Emily to have taken care of the newly infected, the easier job, but she hadn't. She'd need to be more careful. This mission was far from over and she wasn't about to start losing soldiers now. She thought about reassigning Emily to green team but she didn't have the heart. Not only would she want to keep Edward on her team, and she didn't want to break up any of the duos, but she would also have to move one of green team into her team. None of it was acceptable so she banished the idea.

There was a loud curse over the COMMs and something slammed into the wall. Kathleen ran toward the noise, reloading her shotgun as she moved. When she rounded a flesh column, which was likely holding up the extra weight of the flood covered ceiling, she found an odd sight. Tobias was on the ground while Max was riding an odd creature. It was likely what Peter had called a rhino earlier. Its legs were like tree trunks, and the flood growths that covered them only helped with the image. It was large and bulky, running around on all fours. Max clung to the flood antenna that protruded from the base of its neck. The beast was bucking, causing a dull thudding as it tried to get the soldier off of it. The creature threw its head about, trying to stab back at Max with long spiked horns that ran from its nose up between its eyes.

Kathleen charged forward and the creature turned to her, trying to knock her down. She dodged the strike and was suddenly pulled back. Her elbow struck back hitting Blade in the chest. The elite let out a growl and she shot him a glare that he couldn't see before she turned to attack the creature again. Blade grabbed her arm to stop her. She was fairly sure he was doing this because of her injury and she was about to tell him off for it but stopped. An elite leapt through the air, grabbing Max and rolling to the side, carrying the marine away from the creature. A second elite moved up and tossed an object. The incendiary grenade broke on the side of the infected creature and fire spread along its body.

It struggled to stay up but succumbed to the flames as it was engulfed. Blade released his grip on her arm. Kathleen nodded to him and eyes his armor. She could see the blood that streaked across the blue parts of his armor but she kept her mouth shut. She'd fought him, tried to kill him, and knew that he could handle damage.

"Find a way out." She didn't want to stay in this location. There was no telling if the flood would sent more enemies or not but she wasn't going to take any chances.

"Ma'am, I think we found the exit." Kathleen turned toward Edward. She found him standing at a dip in the ground that lead to an odd opening. "Ma'am, is that what I think it looks like?"

"Holy crap, the flood get places through sphincters?" Tym tried to stifle his laughter as he looked toward the opening. Kathleen had to admit, he was right. It looked like a giant green sphincter.

Edward took a step toward it and it spread out, leaving a perfect circle. "All right, everyone remember that you're over 40 and skip the jokes." Kathleen moved toward the opening and glanced back to Blade, realizing that he was still following her on her heels. She decided to ignore him and moved through the opening, only hoping that what was on the other side was better than what they'd just faced. The flood had other ideas.


	34. That's new

Kathleen counted five, maybe more, maybe less. She couldn't be sure. They were moving around too fast and she couldn't be sure of how many there were. She couldn't even tell exactly what they looked like. Kathleen shifted her shotgun. It wasn't really pointing at anything, but it was up and ready in case something attacked. There was one to her left, then a blur to her right. "Form a circle." The soldiers did as they were ordered, protecting each other's back. "What exactly are they?"

Blade didn't answer right away. "It is hard to tell. I don't know of any animal on High Charity that can move that quickly. Whatever they are the flood must have increased their speed in order for them to move like this."

"Great, now the flood gives our enemies super speed. Once it gives them super strength then things will be even." James shifted, trying to track one of them.

"Anyone got a bright idea on how to kill them?" Matthew asked. "I mean, I'm all for standing around and not finding out what else the flood has to throw at us, but my legs are starting to cramp."

"You've always got your rabbit. Give them a target, something to lure them out of hiding so you can kill them." Emily moved a bit closer to Kathleen's right, waiting for an order to run.

Kathleen hesitated. Usually she wouldn't, she'd trust Emily to be able to outrun anything, but she'd never seen anything move this quickly, and Emily was injured. She could trip, or simply be outrun by the creatures. There was no other option, though, so she gave the order. "Run for it rabbit."

Emily took off, moving a bit slower with her injuries and due to the surface that she was running on. Kathleen spotted one of the creatures land on behind Emily and take off after her. Without a moment's hesitation Kathleen ran after the creature. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Blade beside her. Something moved past the other creature and crashed into Blade, knocking him into Kathleen. Her gun fell from her hand as they hit the ground. A moment later something passed overhead. The weight of the elite was gone and Kathleen looked to her side.

Blade had been pinned to the ground by what looked to be a large feline. It was larger than a tiger, but smaller than a horse. Its blue fur was only patches where there weren't flood growths. Its legs were long, unnaturally long. She could see where the blue fur stopped and for a second was nothing but flood. Its back legs were the same. The creature's ears were long, reminding her more of a rabbit then a cat. One was partially gone while the other lay as flat as it could back against the growths on the thing's neck. It opened its mouth and showed several rows of teeth. Creature pulled back to strike, but Kathleen forced herself to her feet first.

The butt of her shotgun hit the side of the creature's head. The thing turned its attention from the elite to Kathleen. It struck out; exceedingly fast even to Kathleen's heightened reaction. Kathleen brought her gun up just in time for it to block the creature's mouth. It bit down and the metal started to crack under the pressure. Kathleen grabbed each end of the gun and twisted it. The creature was pushed to its side, loosening its bite enough for Kathleen to pull her weapon free. She turned it and pointed the barrel at the thing's head. She fired and sent a spray of brain and puss through the air. She then turned her attention to the chest and fired again. This time the body stopped moving, falling lifelessly to the infected ground.

"Thank you, Demon." Blade moved to his feet and picked up his energy sword. He looked down the path where they'd come from where a trio of elites was finishing off another of the creatures.

"Well, if anyone is going to kill you it's going to be. No way I'm going to let some over grown feline have the rights to my kill." Kathleen reloaded her shotgun and then moved off. Blade followed behind her.

They moved ahead and found that James, Matthew, and Patrick were finishing cutting out the infection form in the creature's chest. A bit ahead was Edward, standing alone over one of the dead creatures. He turned and moved off, further down ahead. Kathleen started to move after him but stopped as another of the felines crossed their path. Tym hit the ground in front of them, groaning a bit.

"Damn, those things are hard to keep a hold of."Tym forced himself to his feet. Kathleen looked to the direction that the feline had gone and spotted the feline moving around, trying to throw the ODST from it. "Damn, he beat me." Kathleen finally was able to see the ODST enough to recognize it as Peter. He was clinging to the creature and stabbing it over and over in the chest.

Kathleen ignored it for now. She saw David and Luke run over to assist in killing the creature but she let it be. She had confidence in her soldiers. Kathleen turned her attention to the marine that ran past them. Max ran past the three of them, heading ahead. Kathleen recognized the way he was running. The soldier ran with more urgency than he would normally run. The sort of run that he did when he was going to an injured soldier.

Tym was already gone before Kathleen started to move. He'd probably gone to help kill the feline. Kathleen's attention wasn't on that now. She moved after Max, following him up and over the mounds of infection flesh. They finally stopped in a crevice. Edward was kneeling over the still form of what could only be Emily. Kathleen glanced to her side as Blade moved to stand beside her before she turned her attention back to Max checking over the female soldier.

Kathleen turned as another feline hit the ground behind her. Kathleen's gun was up before she realized that it was struggling to get up. She looked back behind it where an elite had the thing's legs in a tight grip. Another came forward and it gripped the creature's neck, pulling it back. Tobias moved forward and started to stab the feline in the chest with is knife repetitively. It finally went limp and the elites released it.

Tobias moved over to stand beside Kathleen. "I think that's all of them." He looked around." I don't see anything else moving that seems to be a threat."

Kathleen nodded and then turned back to Max. "What's her condition?" Kathleen moved to stand behind Max. Emily didn't look like she'd been attacked so she wasn't sure what was wrong.

"She's just lost a lot of blood." Max stood up and turned to Kathleen. "She just over taxed herself, really. I mean, she really just needs to rest a bit."

"We don't have time to rest, soldier. We need to reach our target as soon as possible." Kathleen noted that Edward tensed. "We aren't leaving her behind. Carry her, and let's get moving."

Edward nodded and didn't hesitate. He started to move to Emily but Kathleen stopped him. She motioned to Patrick and he moved over, picking up the woman and putting her on her back. Edward didn't seem very happy but he'd have to deal with it. Kathleen needed him to fight, and he couldn't fight if he was carrying Emily.

Kathleen moved a bit away from the area and looked around. She didn't know how they moved on so she turned to the others. "We need to find a way forward." She turned to Blade. "What general direction should we go?"

Blade looked around. "I cannot tell. There are no landmarks and everything looks so…different." The elite turned to his own soldiers. "Search the area and look for a way to continue on." The elites moved off and Blade turned back to Kathleen. "We can only keep moving forward and look for some way of finding where we are."

Kathleen nodded and started to move off to find a way out. She didn't even see the creature, only felt it hit her. Kathleen's head hit the ground and she felt the weight hit her back. Something bit into her shoulder, trying to tear through her armor, partially tearing through the under layer and into her skin. The teeth moved away and she heard the thing roar at someone.

Kathleen saw an elite's foot and the weight was suddenly gone. Kathleen ignored the pain in her shoulder and got to her feet. She watched as the feline vanished again, slipping into the shadows. Kathleen felt a hand settle on her back and Kathleen glanced toward Blade. He was looking around, searching for any sign of the creature.

Kathleen pushed him away from her. "I don't need your protection." Her shoulder stung but she couldn't do much about it right now. She might have Max look at it later if she got a chance, but for now they needed to keep moving.

Kathleen readied her weapon and looked around, trying to find any sign of it. Kathleen heard a snarl and then a cry of pain and she turned toward Edward. The beast was biting his left arm, though luckily Tobias and an elite had stepped in, grabbing the beast's jaws to keep it from simply slicing Edward's arm off completely. The creature struck out with its front claws and both of the soldiers fell to the ground. Another elite stepped forward and its blade cut through the creature's leg. It released Edward and Luke moved, grabbing the other soldier and pulling him back. Tym moved forward and put a shell of his shotgun into the creature's chest. It crumpled to the ground. Two of the elites moved to the fallen one while Max and Tym moved to Tobias.

Kathleen moved to her soldier and he pushed the other soldiers away. Tym held out his hand and Tobias allowed him to help him up. "Hey, Sarge, I think I found a way ahead." Kathleen turned and moved toward Patrick. He was staring at a larger version of the circular openings on the ground. "Should we go in?"

Kathleen took a step toward it and it opened up. Infection forms crawled up but assault rifle fire from David and Max cut them down. With the threat gone Kathleen moved back to the opening and it opened again. This time nothing came out, but she could look in. Ahead she could see hardly anything. Only slightly uncovered emergency lights gave any illumination to the area below. It was a far drop, and Kathleen didn't like it. From the looks of it the space was a very large room. She didn't want to think of how much flood the place could hold, or what other, larger, surprises the flood might drop on them. But they didn't really have much of a choice.

Kathleen moved through the opening. The lines of the VISR system spread out but they could only vaguely outline the other side of the room. It looked like structures from above, bridges, had been demolished, the bits of them that had fallen littering the floor of the room. She looked up and saw where there were walkways above, the destroyed parts having been replaced by flood flesh. Kathleen turned her attention back to the area. She didn't see any threat, but the amount of debris meant that there were plenty of hiding places for enemies.

"I know this place." The words snapped Kathleen's attention to Blade. He was looking over the large room. "Yes, I know the way to the elevator down to the engines from here. I don't have the codes but I hardly think that the flood is worried about codes."

"I hardly think the flood would keep an elevator in working order, either." Peter walked up beside them and raised his rifle. He looked over the area and then put his weapon down a bit. "I don't like this."

"Neither do I. There are a lot of places for the flood to be hiding. In a place like this, we'd be easy targets." Kathleen thought she saw a bit of movement but it was gone a moment later.

"We have no other choice. There is no other direction to go than here. Maybe it is a trap, and we have been led like rats to it, but since when has a room in this place not been a trap full of flood?"

Kathleen had to admit that he was right. Every room they went into seemed to have some new terror that was trying to kill them. She tried to think of another option, of a way to cut down how much danger they were in. If they went along the wall they at least wouldn't have to expose themselves too much. The rubble around the area made it hard to pick out a direct path. "We move along the sides. Blade, take lead and we'll follow."

"Hey, Sarge, a terminal." Patrick motioned toward the light to their left and Kathleen moved over to it. There were words but they didn't make sense on it. At least they were in English. "Maria, can you make anything of it?"

There was a pause before the AI responded. "The identification code is a UNSC smart AI, but I can't do proper identification without a link to the UNSC's systems." The AI paused for a moment longer. "From the way she speaks, she's very damaged. Corrupted, rampant, I'm not sure. Either way, she's not much use to us. Though her presence means that the systems are online. I think I might be able to get in and help us. After all, who needs codes when you've got an electronic soldier to do the work for you?"

Kathleen smirked. At least for once something good was happening. They could get access, maybe make this job easier. She froze as a low laughter came from, well she wasn't sure where. It seemed to be everywhere all at once. Like the very flesh of the flood around them was talking. "This shall be your grave." Kathleen recognized the voice as that of the gravemind. The one they'd see in the video.

"Run!" Kathleen motioned for Blade to take the lead and he took off. Kathleen fell into line behind him as he moved through the rubble. She could hear the cries of tanks, the sound of sniper shots hitting the ground, and the scuttling of infection forms. She heard some other sounds that she couldn't identify, but didn't want to know the source of. For now, she just followed the running elite ahead of her.


	35. Final destination

Kathleen tossed the grenade toward the oncoming tanks. Her injured shoulder hindered the movement and it only went a fraction of the distance that she'd hoped. The explosive went off and killed a few combat forms nearby and some infection forms but the tanks remained. Kathleen opened fire with her SMG but the shots barely even stopped the forms from charging. She would have used her shotgun but she'd used up the last of her ammunition for it half way across the room. Kathleen attached her gun to her hip and pulled out her knife. When the tank was close enough she charged, stabbing the knife into the thing's 'face'.

Claws raked over her leg, hitting the back of her knee and cutting into her armor. Kathleen's leg gave out for a moment and before she could get back the creature attacked. It looked like a giant honey badger with blue and purple fur. Its jaw was just hanging on so she didn't have to worry about being bitten but she did have to worry about the long six inch claws that the creature had. Somewhere in the back of her head she wondered how it moved with such long claws, but it wasn't really a thought that registered. She was too focused on figuring out how to survive.

The creature let out a gurgled roar as black and green blood splattered from its side. Kathleen looked over in time to see Shadow Claw preparing his blade for another hit. He stopped as Shadow Fang pulled his arm and then moved on. Kathleen moved to her feet and fell into line between the two elites. She ran along with them as they followed after Blade ahead of them. Fang suddenly wasn't there and Kathleen looked to the side where a creature that seemed part bear part wild boar was trying to crush him against the wall.

Kathleen moved to the creature and stabbed into its neck with her knife. The metal hit bone and lodge there. The creature pulled back away from her but she couldn't pull her blade free from the bone. Kathleen was drag by the infected beast for a moment before the blade was twisted out of her hand. She cursed, now left without a close combat weapon. A hand grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side. Kathleen found her footing and ran with the soldier as Luke pulled her toward the right direction.

She realized she wasn't following Blade any more, as he wasn't in sight. She was further back in the line and the furthest up she could see was David. She couldn't account for all of her soldiers, or all of Blade's team. She just hoped that they were all just out of sight, somewhere ahead. Kathleen looked over her shoulder and spotted Patrick behind her, Edward following at his side to give him cover. Kathleen slowed just a bit so she'd be able to assist them if needed.

They moved around a hunk of fallen bridge that was covered with infection packs and she saw the other side of the room. There was nothing, only a wall with no doors. She felt a spike of panic which faded as she went into survival mode. They'd have to find a way out, a way to get out of this death trap.

Kathleen caught sight of Blade and realized that he was trailing his sword through the infected flesh on the wall. She watched as the flesh burned away and she could see another elite pulling away at the flesh, revealing purple reflective metal underneath. There was a door hidden under the flesh that coated the wall. Her mind automatically switched again into defense strategy. They had to allow Blade the time to cut away all the flood, or at least enough to get them out.

"Protect the area, give them time to cut through." Kathleen skidded to a halt behind Blade, turning to face the oncoming flood. She glanced back and saw that the flood was already trying to cover up what he had worked to get free. The other elites moved to task, pulling away the fresh flesh and helping to try to find the other side of the door.

Infection forms crawled over the ground and toward them. The soldiers sent burst of SMG ammunition into the mass and the little forms popped, popping those nearby and setting off a chain reaction. Kathleen heard the shot and then noticed her shield drop. There were more shots and her shield continued to drop. The Combat forms that moved closer opened fire, using a collection of human and Covenant weapons to attack the soldiers.

"Sergeant, your shields are being over taxed. At this rate they will burn out," Maria warned. "Your suit it out of biofoam and I'm counting at least twenty enemies within motion tracker range that are out of sight."

Kathleen pushed all that information to the back of her mind. She couldn't worry about that now. She did glance down at her motion tracker and saw what Maria had mentioned. The area ahead of them looked like a sea of red, creeping closer.

Warning sirens screamed in her ear as her shields went down and she was left with no protection. Plasma laced along her arm but she kept firing. She hadn't even realized that she'd returned fire on the combat forms. Some of them were dropping, and dropping their weapons, but the next moment another form would step over them, blocking the soldiers from grabbing any of the fallen arms.

There was a hiss behind Kathleen and she knew it was the doors opening. "Inside!" Blade ordered. Her soldiers broke contact with the enemies in pairs, moving back into the hallway. Kathleen made sure she was the last to go through, not willing to accidently leave any of her soldiers behind. She'd just made it through the doors when they started to close and she heard a familiar sound.

The rocket hit the other side of the door, sending fire through the slight gap that was still there. Heat washed over Kathleen but her skin only heated, didn't burn. She then felt the arm around her and looked back at Blade. His shields were glowing and a moment later they once more faded. He took a step away from her and looked forward. "This is the way." He pointed down the hallway.

Kathleen looked over the area, clicking on her VISR system. It had been too bright in the last room to use it but she could use it in here. The hallways stretched forward and turned around a corner. "There's no guessing what it will have for us ahead." Kathleen checked her SMG and found that it had three rounds left. It was useless. She was completely without any real way to protect herself. She heard a few weapons hit the ground and looked back to see that several of her soldiers had dropped off weapons that likely had no ammunition either.

"I hope that we do not meet much. Our weapons are as drained as a young warrior taking an inner journey to find himself." Kathleen just stared at the elite, not understanding his words. Blade sighed and clarified. "We have very little charge in our weapons left." Blade held up his sword and Kathleen remembered that they were charged, ran on a battery that could be worn out.

Kathleen checked her suit's systems. Maria interjected, having already run the checks. "Shield unit is burnt out, you have several breaches in your armor, all medical systems are basically fried, oh, and we still haven't come out of slip space. I also have no idea how long we will be in Slip Space."

"I don't care if we're in slip space. We're going to blow the thing up. It doesn't matter what sort of space we are in." Kathleen moved to follow after Blade, dropping her SMG. It was useless now and she'd just have to figure something out.

"It does matter. This isn't like normal Slip space. The forerunners seem to have some odd way of doing things. I have no idea what effect that blowing this place up in this slip space will have. We might even send debris flying toward the few human colonies that still are out there," Maria explained. Her avatar appeared in a small box on Kathleen's heads up display. "I'll be able to tell when we are out of slip space, but I can't tell you how long."

Kathleen moved to walk beside Blade. He looked at her, seeing that her hands were empty and she noted that his grip on his blade tightened a bit. "We have to hold the main reactor room until we can get out of slip space." Blade looked to her and she put up her hands. "I know, it sounds stupid, but Maria thinks that it might have adverse effects if we blow this place in slip space. For all we know it will collapse the portal and trap all our forces on the other side."

"When they went through that portal they knew that it might close behind them. They made their choice, as we did, and we must honor their choice." Blade turned his attention back to the way ahead of them. Kathleen agreed, but she remembered the audio log she'd gotten of the meeting with Lord Hood and the elites, of John promising to bring back the solution to the flood. She sure hoped he had one, though she wished more that she had it right now.

Kathleen sighed. "Well, we should try to hold it for as long as we can. We can have Maria go into the system and wait there. If we all fall, or we give the signal, then she blows the place. It's our best choice." Kathleen hated to admit it, but in either one they were all dead. This would be their end. Kathleen kept that information to herself.

Blade thought over her plan as they walked in silence. Kathleen could swear that she could hear a beating heart somewhere, getting louder and louder as they walked. She could swear that it was her own heart beating, but that wasn't possible. She closed her eyes and listened to her own heart, it was on a different beat.

"It is acceptable. I would prefer to find a way off, at least a way to get you and the others off." Kathleen's fist hit his shoulder. Blade growled at her. "What was that for?"

"For thinking that I'd leave you behind, even if there was a blizzard in Hell." Kathleen crossed her arms. "I don't leave soldiers behind, and you are a soldier, aren't you?"

Blade nodded and turned his attention back to the way ahead. "Then we will try to find a way for all of us to get off this place, or at least get our teams off." Kathleen nodded, agreeing with that plan. She sort of hated herself for it. She'd always been one to believe that you had to be willing to sacrifice those that were under your command for the greater good. She wasn't so sure she could do that anymore. She wasn't willing to go through that pain again, feel that loss, not if she could stop it. At one time she would have sacrificed members of her team. Now, she was willing to sacrifice herself for her team. "A plasma pistol for your thoughts?" Blade asked.

"Do you actually have a plasma pistol to give me as payment, cause I could really use a weapon." Kathleen didn't look at him as she spoke.

Blade shook his head. "No."

"Then you don't get to know what I'm thinking." Kathleen ran her hand over her shoulder, trying to ease away the pain but nothing was helping. Her leg burned with each step along with her side and more parts of her then she cared to count. If they did make it out of this alive, she'd be in the infirmary for at least a week, though that was really only as long as she'd let the medics keep her there.

The soldiers stopped as they reached a hole in the ground. "This is it." Blade readied his sword and prepared for whatever might come up. The flesh moved back as it did when they got close. It looked like a long dark esophagus to Kathleen and it made her skin crawl a bit.

It all felt a like a trap to her, but they had no other choice. She jumped down the hole and after some time her feet hit the ground. The shock went through her body and she cursed. Even the softer flesh under foot hurt, though not as much as it would if it were just metal. "Climb down." She moved into the room ahead, hearing Blade land beside her. She couldn't believe the room that the elevator shaft was attached to.

The room was large. It was only a bit smaller than the room they'd just come out of. The reactors of High Charity were like nothing that Kathleen had ever seen. They stood, stories high, glowing with a faint blue light. It was covered with veins as the flood seemed to be drawing energy from it. The blue light oddly made the flood seem less threatening. It almost all looked like it was frozen over, though she knew that wasn't true.

Kathleen moved into the room, looking around. If there was something to attack her then she'd have to fight it off with her fist anyway. There didn't seem to be any infection or combat forms waiting for them. She hoped that the flood had sent them all upstairs in an effort to stop them, which had left this room vulnerable. Kathleen glanced back at her soldiers as they spread through the room. Only a few of them still had weapons. Peter still had his sniper rifle, but she knew he was low on rounds. Max still had his pistol, and she wasn't sure how much ammunition he had. David and Matthew still had SMGs but they seemed unaware they even had them. They were either empty, or had very few rounds. She also noticed that they moved a bit slower than usual. The fight had taken a toll on them, and it was getting to them.

Kathleen looked through the room and finally spotted what looked like a control terminal. She moved over to it and pulled Maria out. She inserted the data matrix into the slot and waited. Kathleen looked over the reactor while she waited. There were cracks here and there in the shielding. She checked her radiation monitor and realized that it wasn't online. She ignored the possible radiation exposure. There was nothing she could do about it anyway.

"I'm in." Maria's voice came from the terminal but there was no image. Kathleen looked it over and realized that if there was a holopad it was covered by flood. "These engines are so complex. More complex than anything I've ever seen." There was amazement in the AI's voice.

"Can you get the job done? I don't care about how they work, just tell me if you can make them go boom." Kathleen glanced around the room. She didn't like staying here too long. She then added in a quieter voice. "Is there any way off this thing before it blows?"

"I can overcharge the reactors and make them go critical, ma'am. I am sorry, but there isn't really any safe way off of this ship. Though the way these engines work is important. We went through a forerunner portal, and these are not Covenant systems. They follow the theories and technology of the forerunners almost exactly," Maria explained.

Blade moved over to stand beside Kathleen. "That is because they are directly from the forerunners." Kathleen looked to him to explain. "The prophets clamed this as the holy city as it was directly forerunner tech, things that they had not reverse engineered but rather they built all of our engines off of." He motioned to the reactors. "These are forerunner."

Kathleen turned back to the terminal. "All right, so why does that matter?"

"The engines can make proper use of the portal. Unlike the other ships this one has the ability to travel at Forerunner speed. It's…it's much faster than even Covenant ships." Maria paused for a moment. "We should be reaching out destination in a few hours. If you can hold this room then I can detonate High Charity on the other side."

"Yeah, the other side where all the elite and human forces that went through before us are. We'd be killing all of them." Kathleen wasn't even sure if they'd be able to hold the room for that long.

"You and I both can guess what's on the other side. They came to Earth, looking for the Ark. What all the forerunners would lead to, the halos. According to records the Ark allows the firing of all of the Halos. An explosion of this station near the Ark, or right next to it might destroy the Ark's systems, keeping the brutes and Truth from firing the Halos. Whatever this Ark is, it is not a solution to the flood, even if the AI Cortana claims such a thing. It is something too powerful." Maria's voice softened a bit. "Yes, our forces may die in the explosion, but for all that's left on Earth, for all the sanghilie that are on Blade's planet, would it not be worth it to stop the Halos?"

Kathleen looked to Blade and he nodded to her. Kathleen stood and turned to her soldiers. "All right, here's the plan. We've got to hold this room for a couple hours, then Maria is going to blow this place to Hell."

There was a low, rumbling laugh that seemed to echo through the very flood around them. Kathleen groaned. Of course it had to be here. "Such foolishness. You really think that you can destroy this station." Kathleen recognized the voice. It was the same one from the video they'd been shown. "You will learn the error of your arrogance."

Kathleen looked up as she realized that line like tentacles were creeping down from above. She could see that on some of them there still seemed to be faces of grunts, elites, even some humans. Stalker forms started to climb down from above and Kathleen cursed, this was not going to be easy.


	36. Hold the line

he flood all stood on the far side of the room, sitting and waiting. The soldiers were all circled around the terminal to protect it. Kathleen watched the gathered stalker forms, looking more at the combat forms. She could see a few of them carrying weapons, which might be their only hope. It wasn't a good idea at all to fight the flood in hand-to-hand combat but without those weapons they'd have no other choice.

She didn't know what they were waiting for. They were all just standing there, as though they were all just there to watch a show rather than try to kill them. She didn't like that idea. After all, if they were just there to watch, then what was it that they were all there to see?

The stalker forms started to transform, some of them changing into tanks, while others climbed up the wall and shifted to snipers. Kathleen crouched, prepared for what they'd have to do. They'd have to kill a few of the combat forms and grab the weapons that a few of them carried. She eyed a combat form that was ahead of her, shotgun in its hand. Unfortunately to steal it would mean having to get it from the infected brute form. There was also no telling how much ammunition the weapons had in them.

"That doesn't look good." Kathleen glanced up and saw the long green tentacles snaking down toward them. She agreed, that was diffidently not good. She moved so that she was beside Blade. "Save your sword for the tentacles. The combat forms have guns of all kinds but only the swords will really be useful against those things."

Before Blade could reply the tentacles shot down. Kathleen jumped out of the way as the long tentacle slammed into where she and blade had been standing. As soon as the tentacle had moved all the flood forms had as well. A sniper round hit Kathleen's forearm armor and scratched it as it was deflected. At least the metal of her armor could give her a bit of cover.

Kathleen got to her feet and rather than move toward the flood, moved back to the terminal. They'd have to charge the flood in order to hold them off for any amount of time. She widened her hand and slammed it against the terminal controls. They broke under the force and Kathleen hung her head a bit. It would keep them from taking Maria out of the system, so they wouldn't have to worry about that.

Kathleen turned to see the combat forms pulling ahead of the tanks. Perfect. She turned her whole body and tensed her muscles. "Give 'em Hell marines." Kathleen pushed off from the ground, charging toward the combat forms.

She could hear the flood forms opening fire, sniper rounds, plasma, and bullets filled the air. Kathleen moved to the armed combat form the closest to her, grabbing the twisted hand that was holding the pistol. She put her foot against the form's chest and pulled. The arm came off with less fight then she was really expecting. She had to tear the gun from the hand separately moving to dodge the swing from the combat form. She raised the pistol and put two shots into the form's chest. She checked her ammunition counter and found that it only had four more rounds in it. Just great. She'd have to try to focus on finding Covenant weapons. While human weapons needed you to pick up ammunition and reload, which the flood didn't carry extra ammunition, while Covenant weapons ran on a battery. She could, in theory, find a Covenant weapon with a nearly completely full battery.

Kathleen ducked under a swing from an elite combat form. Her foot hit its let and it snapped in half, causing the enemy to fall to the ground. Kathleen shot once with the pistol and jumped over the now dead form. She ran under the swings of other forms, looking for the brute she'd seen earlier with the shotgun. She jumped over a stalker form and searched the area.

She spotted one of the Shadows being pinned to the ground by an elite form. She ran toward him, slamming her foot into the side of the form. It rolled to the side away from the elite. Kathleen jumped and landed with both of her feet crushing the combat form's chest. She turned around to check on the elite only to find a plasma rifle pointed at her head. She ducked to the side and felt the heat as the plasma just barely missed her helmet. She grabbed the form's arm and tugged. The arm didn't come free, but it caused the combat form to fall. A fist shot forward and broke into the form's chest. Kathleen looked to the elite as he pulled his hand free of the corpse. Kathleen pulled the plasma rifle free and saw the elite grab a spent plasma pistol from the one she'd jumped on. She didn't understand why, that was until a combat form jumped toward them and the elite swung. The plasma pistol easily broke into the combat form's body and it fell to the ground.

Kathleen decided to follow that lead. She tossed her pistol up and caught it by the barrel. She started to strike out at anything that came close enough. She flipped her pistol around and fired up toward the snipers, knocking out two of them before she ran out of ammunition. She dropped the pistol, knowing that it would only get in her way. She turned toward a tank as it charged toward her. Kathleen rolled to the side but as she stopped something heavy slammed into the side of her helmet and she was sent tumbling.

She looked over to see the brute combat form that hat hit her. It leveled a brute shot and Kathleen knew she had to have it. A blade on the bottom of a weapon that shots grenades. Yeah, she had to have it. She moved to her feet and charged toward it. The form had just about raised the brute shot to fire when Kathleen heard a shotgun go off. The combat form fell, Emily standing behind it, shotgun in hand.

"Duck." Kathleen flattened herself toward the ground as she skidded to stop. A combat form sailed over Kathleen's head and she saw Emily move her grip on the shotgun. She pulled back and swung like it was a bat. The gun smashed into the combat form and it sent a shower of puss and flood goo through the air. Emily stumbled and Kathleen finally reached a halt next to the fallen combat forms. She grabbed up the brute shot and jumped over the body. Emily fell to one knee and Kathleen swung the brute shot, blade cutting through the face of the tank behind the marine.

Kathleen stopped tackled Emily to the side as a slap of one of the tentacles fell to the ground. The stub of the Gravemind appendage flailed above them and Kathleen looked up just in time to see Blade slice through a second. Her soldiers dove for cover as it fell to the ground.

The ground under Kathleen's feet shook and she looked around. The elites hadn't cut another tentacle, so what had happened? The ground shook again and Kathleen moved over to the terminal. "Maria, what's going on?"

"High Charity is preparing to come out of slip space. It seems that the station is not holding up as well as I had hoped." Maria's voice was slightly apologetic. "I am afraid that when we come out of slip space the force will tear the station apart. I will still be able to detonate the main mass."

Kathleen nodded. "That's all that matters, Maria." Kathleen moved to join her soldiers and the ground shook again, but this time more violently. There was a sound like nothing Kathleen could really explain and suddenly the world fell out from under her. She felt like she was falling through the air but she could still see the area around them. The reactors rose and got further and further away from them. The ceiling went with it and Kathleen realized that they were falling. The room they'd been standing in was falling away.

Kathleen never saw what they were falling toward. All she was aware of was that Blade had grabbed her and held her down to the ground as they tried to stay in the room. She didn't know how long they were falling, but when they hit the ground her world became a spike of pain and then her world went black.

Maria could only watch as the room she'd been in was split away. She could feel the circuits being pulled and torn away from the main mass. She retreated into the reactors when she felt something ping her and try to reach into her. It was somehow familiar, like it was something she'd had contact with before. Almost like it was human. No, human wasn't the right term, but diffidently made by humans.

Maria started to work on overloading the reactors but the presence once more was there at the edge of her consciousness, though this time it was trying to force its way in. She put up all the stoppers she could but the other program broke through them all. It pinged her inner thoughts and although Maria tried to cut it off opened the other AI opened a communication.

CTN 0452-9: What are you doing?

Maria could feel the agitation of the other AI. She didn't recognize the serial number, but that didn't matter.

MRA 0531-1: I am overloading the reactors of High Charity. It will cause the station to go critical, and destroy all the flood aboard and whatever the threat that was on the other side of the portal.

CTN 0452-9: I can't let you do that. You will destroy all of the UNSC forces. You will destroy him.

MRA 0531-1: No one soldier's life, or the life of UNSC soldiers is above the future of all humanity.

It was then that it hit Maria why this AI was familiar but not. Was an AI made by the UNSC, but it was a rampant one. It was why it had felt off. It was willing to stop the destruction of the flood in order to save a single soldier.

CTN 0452-9: I won't let you kill him.

The rampant AI started to tear into Maria's code. She guessed that the feeling of the other AI tearing her apart was the closest to pain that an AI could feel. Maria quickly dumped whatever classified information she could in an effort to keep it from the AI. She dumped all the information she had about the ODSS. All of the personal files of the soldiers. She'd tossed away everything, just having the personal files she'd complied of conversations with Kathleen, some battle records, and information about the shadows. The other AI broke through the last of Maria's barriers and reached her base core.

Maria withdrew as much as she could away from the rampant AI as it tore through her. She huddled herself in the few memories that she had kept safe. She'd selected the memories specifically. Choice moments with the ODSS in the last months in which they'd talked to her and treated her like any one of the other soldiers. Kathleen calling her one of her soldiers.

Maria could feel the AI tearing in the last little bit of her. There was nothing she could do to stop it, so she just waited and let it come. "I'm sorry, Sarge. I failed you."

The AI erased the last little bit of Maria's code, removing her fully from the system and taking back control of the reactors.


	37. Aftermath

Kathleen's eyes slowly opened. Every part of her was in pain and she couldn't breathe properly. There were cracks all over her visor and her armor systems were all down. It was hard to see past the blood that she'd exasperated across her visor, and without her systems online there was nothing she could do about it. She tried to get up but there was something that was weighing her down, keeping her pinned in place. Kathleen reached up with one hand, though every movement caused her more pain, and hit the release on her helmet, pulling it off. The air around her was smoky and it was hard to see much of anything.

Kathleen tried to see what was on her and she realized what it was. Blade was lying over her back, his weight pinning her down. She tried to look around more and she could see the faint outline of one of her soldier's arm through the smoke and about half of another body. She wished she'd had her HUD to check to see if they were alive. For now she'd just have to assume that she was the only one alive.

The weight on her moved and she looked back to Blade his eyes slowly opened and the elite struggled to try to get up. He got over to the side far enough out of the way so that he was no longer pinning Kathleen to the ground. Kathleen moved, trying to get to her feet. One of the legs of her armor was locked up, or at least she hoped that was what happened. She coughed and could see the blood that hit the ground. She tried to pull herself up but found that one of her hands wouldn't support the weight. She looked over at it and sat the large spike of metal that was impaled through the back of her hand. Her free hand reached over, grabbing the spike as tightly as she could and she pulled. It wouldn't come free. She didn't have the strength to remove it.

Kathleen tried to remember what had happened, but it was all a bit of a blur. She remembered the falling sensation, the gravemind retreating. She didn't remember hitting the ground, though when she looked up she could see what looked to be a slightly crumbling wall of a forerunner structure. So that was what had happened. They must have crashed into some sort of building on…well she didn't have any idea where they were. She knew that High Charity had come out of slip space, but she still had no idea what had been on the other side.

A hand grabbed the spike and Kathleen looked to Blade. He looked her in the eyes and she nodded slightly. His other hand moved to her wrist and with one great yank he pulled the spike free. It didn't hurt as much as it should have, which wasn't a good sign. It meant that whatever her current injuries were, a spike in her hand was barely anything to her. Her vision started to blur and she was slightly aware of Blade leaning toward her. She felt his hand touch her cheek before everything went black.

A wraith shot streaked through the sky overhead. Kathleen tracked it as it passed over until it hit a small building. She could hear the people inside screaming in terror. Why then, was she still sitting here on this broken warthog? She should have been doing something, but she couldn't. Her body didn't move, didn't follow her mental commands, just stayed still.

"You know, I always wanted to go to Harvest." Kathleen looked to the voice and found Sheila sitting beside her on the ruined jeep. "I always heard how pretty the fields of wheat and plants were. Such a wide open planet. Guess it's probably not so pretty any more, seeing as it was glassed."

Kathleen ignored the words. She didn't care about the ramblings of her former teammate. "Where are we? I don't recognize this place?"

Sheila shrugged. "Some random battle inside our mind I suppose. I have been dead for years after all. Hell, for all I know it's the same place I died. I don't actually remember what planet I died on even."

"Miridem. You died on Miridem." Kathleen glanced again toward the building of soldiers. "Shouldn't we be helping them?"

"Why do you remember that?" The question caught Kathleen off guard and she stared at Sheila, not sure what to say. "Why do you remember when I died? Shouldn't you forget about me, and all the other Spartans? Shouldn't you let go of such useless information?"

Kathleen didn't have an answer. She'd struggled for years to really let go of the Spartans. It was hard, harder then she had ever expected. It was as hard as it would have been for her to forget her family, not that she'd ever tried. "I don't know."

"Why is it that when you are so badly hurt, that you seem to always come back to the members of our team? You did after Reach, and now you're doing it again." Kathleen was getting annoyed with the other woman.

"I suppose I turn to you guys because you're all dead, and because I can't turn to my own soldiers. If I need to talk to someone, that someone needs to have a face that I trust, and I trusted our team." Kathleen closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

Kathleen opened her eyes and found herself staring up at the ceiling of what seemed to be the interior of a phantom dropship. She didn't know how she'd gotten there, or if it was just another image made up by her mind. A figure moved above her and she could only barely make out that it was an elite. It grumbled out something in its own language but Kathleen couldn't really understand any of it. It wasn't that she didn't know the language, because she knew some, but rather that she just couldn't make sense of anything. Her head hurt and all the words seemed to be muffled as though they were on the other side of glass. Kathleen tried to move but a hand settled on her chest. It kept her in place. She looked at the face but didn't recognize it, only knew that it was an elite. An engineer floated overhead and did something, though she didn't have the energy to sit up enough to see what it was doing. Her eyelids became heavy and she could no longer stay conscious and everything went black again.

Kathleen stared across the room at the blinking screen. She was watching it, not sure really why she was sitting on the floor of an ONI lab. She tried to read the message on the screen but it was blurry and she couldn't bring anything into focus. There was something familiar about the room, but she felt that way about just about any ONI lab.

"An elite killed me, you know." Kathleen looked to Joshua. She hadn't realized he was there until he'd spoke. The other soldier was sitting on the ground beside her.

Kathleen turned her attention back to the screen. "I remember. I was there after all. I don't see why that matters though." It was staring to annoy her that she couldn't read the screen. She should have been able to see if even from this far across the room.

"I got killed by an elite, you were there, and now you're friends with one of them. That's just so wrong." Joshua shook his head. "Fraternizing with the enemy. Honestly I never expected it from you."

"I'm not friends with any elites. I've only worked with them." Kathleen turned back to Joshua and frowned at him. "I would never be friends with one of those split-lipped fools."

"Don't lie to me, Kathleen. Come on, you are friends with that one with half a mouth." Joshua grinned a bit. "You do realize that since I'm dead—"

"That it means that inside I believe I'm friends with him but still on the outside I'm fighting to not be friends with him. I'm well aware that you're my subconscious." Kathleen rolled her eyes. "So maybe I am a bit of a friend with him. I still want to kill him." She hesitated for a moment before she spoke again. "Do you think he survived?"

"So, you're asking yourself if you think that what's his name lived. Do you realize how silly that is?" Joshua chuckled a bit.

"Oh, be quite and just tell me if you think that Blade is alive." Kathleen wanted to smack him, but she realized that smacking a figment of her imagination would be ridicules.

Kathleen stared up at the ceiling above her. She didn't recognize it at first, and then it hit her. It was the ceiling of a Covenant cruiser. It explained why it was so far above her, and was a familiar purple. A face leaned over her and she recognized the two mandible face. There were some bandages on his head that she could see, covering a part of his face. She felt his hand settle on her arm. She looked toward his hand that was loosely gripping her forearm. She looked back up to him and tried to tell him to get his hand off of her but when her mouth opened no words came out.

Blade's hand gripped her arm a bit tighter and he said something, but she only caught a couple words. He said something about sleep and work. She just filled in what she thought he had said and figured he'd instructed her to get some sleep. Hopefully there'd be things to do when she woke up.

Kathleen stared at the locker, not sure why it was it was open. Maybe she was supposed to get something out of it. An arm settled over her shoulder and Will sat down beside her, grinning happily. She stared at him and she felt the familiar weight of loss weighing down on her. Kathleen reached up, touching his cheek. "What, you look like you've seen a ghost?" He shifted his head a bit closer to her hand.

"For all I know I'm looking at one." She leaned against him and set her head against his shoulder. "You and Fred ran off, left Earth to my soldiers to protect."

"Well, then we left it in good hands." Will's hand moved from her shoulder down to her waist. Kathleen sat up and pushed his arm off of her. He put up his hands to ward off any attack. "Hey, I'm a vision of your mind. Don't blame me if you want me to put my arm around you."

"It's not that I want it, it's that I expect that from you." Kathleen sighed and slumped a bit. "I think I did something bad, Will." The male Spartan raised an eyebrow and Kathleen continued. "I put my team's life at risk. For all I know they are all dead. I know Blade survived, but I have no idea about my soldiers." She looked at the locker ahead of her, just staring at the gray metal. "Did I make the right choice?"

"Did you do what you had to do?" Will asked.

"I guess so. We had to stop High Charity, but I don't know if we really did any good. I haven't been awake long enough to get any real understanding of if our plan worked. For all I know everything we did was pointless. We put our lives at risk, my team might even be dead, and all of it for nothing." Kathleen shook her head. She didn't know why she was now doubting her choice. She'd made it, so she should be sticking with it. Maybe it was because all of this was in her head, or maybe because she might never wake up and denying her worry was pointless.

"You made a choice, and you can't change it now. As a leader you have to make choices, and sometimes it means that your soldiers will die. They were willing to do what you told them, and I don't think they'd hold it against you, even if it all was for nothing. I've followed John into some stupid things that have probably been pointless. How many times have your team and the Spartans fought on the ground, not even saved anyone, just fought, only to lose the planet in the end?"

Kathleen admitted that he was right. "But those missions were never our choice. They were what we were ordered to do. I made the choice, gave the order to go onto that station. I can't blame the brass for it. We can't write it off as another time that Command sent us on a mission that could kill us without realizing it wasn't going to help."

"But you don't know if it did or didn't help. You were just trying to do whatever you could. The officers can sometimes only look at the big picture. They think of how much a platoon can do, think that's what it takes to make a change. You've seen single soldiers take down hunters, you've seen some ODST take down elites with just a knife who aren't on your team. They don't see that, and you do. You knew that your team could do something that could be more than just cleaning up the Flood on Earth. You took a risk, but you knew that in the end your team was going to fight to get the job done." Will moved his hand over so that it was lightly touching hers. "No one can fault you for having faith in your team."

Kathleen looked down at his hand but didn't pull away. "You know, if High Charity had detonated as it was supposed to, then whatever it was that we were on would have been destroyed, and we should be dead." She moved to lean her forehead on his shoulder. "We failed."

"You only fail if you don't even try." Will pulled her closer to him. "You tried, and you are alive. I wouldn't call that failing. I mean you and Blade are still alive. I'm sure the two of you could take down what's left of the Covenant armada and destroy all the Halos."

Kathleen groaned. "You sound like Fred. That sort of warm hearted, nice-guy thing where you say things that can't actually happen just to make me feel better or stroke my ego."

Will chuckled. "Is that such a bad thing? Maybe if I was more like him, you would have chosen me rather than him." Kathleen ignored him, closing her eyes and moving closer to his warmth as she relaxed.

Kathleen slowly opened her eyes, squinting a bit in the light. For once she knew right away where she was. It was a UNSC medical bay aboard a ship. She looked around the room, ignoring the beeping machines that were hooked up to her. On one side of her bed Tym sat in a chair, slumped down as he slept. Max sat on the floor beside him, snoring lightly. On the other side of her bed sat Luke and Peter, oddly trying to share the same chair. Right beside her bed Tobias had pulled up a chair. He was leaning on her bed, arms crossed on the mattress and his head resting on them as he drooled a bit. At least it wasn't getting on her sheets. She wondered if this was all that was left, or if the others just couldn't fit in the small room. She hoped it was the latter, but she wouldn't put money on anything at this point.

Kathleen thought of waking the soldiers, as it seemed they had obviously all been there to see that she was all right, but she decided that they deserved the rest more. She wondered what ship they were on, where they were, was there an Earth to be heading to, or what that gone and they were just running from what was left of the Covenant? There was no answer to any of her questions and the calm sounds of the medical room lulled her back to sleep.

Kathleen could hear the strong and steady heartbeat under her. Her hand absently moved over the man's chest and she didn't even bother looking up at him. She already knew who it was. After all there was only one person who her mind would set her up like this with. She felt his hand trailing lazily over her back and she was content just to sit there in the silence. Apparently he wasn't.

"I wish you'd stop putting yourself in danger like that. I don't like it when you end up like this, this hurt." Fred's arms moved around her, pulling her body to fit against his.

"You were always so weak. I can't believe I let myself doubt myself like you would." Kathleen scowled. She had worried about having failed her team. There was a time when she would have scolded Fred for such a thing, but here she'd done the exactly same thing. "Can't I ever do what I say others should do?"

Fred shifted a bit under her. "I have no idea. You won't forget the Spartans, even though you tell your soldiers to forget everyone they know. You worry about your soldiers after you tell me for years that I shouldn't do that. You tell your soldiers to follow orders, and then you turn around and ignore orders."

"Now just a moment, I tell them to do that and they don't follow orders anyway. I don't get mad at them for it, I just say to follow orders cause that's what I'm supposed to say." Kathleen sat up enough so that she could look at him. She frowned as she realized he still looked the same as the last time she'd seen him at Reach. Had she really not seen an image of him since then? She pulled herself up and set her forehead against his. "Also, I only doubted my choice once. You doubted yours all the time."

"You're really going to argue with me?" He was about to say more but Kathleen put her hand over his mouth. Fred sighed and she removed her hand. "Fine, I won't point it out, but you know it." She did know what he was going to say. He was just in her head, and she couldn't blame a figment of her imagination for the faults of the man. "Also, for a guy that you thought was such a bad leader, I got through Reach, and I'm the leader of the Spartans. With only three of us we stole a Covenant ship."

Kathleen rolled her eyes. "Oh, what an impressive action. John did it with just one Spartan, two marines, a pilot, and an officer, which I think counts against his total number of soldiers."

"Except the two soldiers were marines. I think in your book that counts up to two normal soldiers," Fred pointed out. There was a slightly triumphant look on his face.

"Yeah, but a Spartan is worth like five marines, and about half of one of my soldiers. So the math still works out to you having done it with more soldiers." Kathleen frowned at him as he tried to fight back. "You argue with me anymore and I'm waking up."

"You don't have any control over that." Fred scowled. She wasn't sure when this had turned into an argument or fight, but at some point it had.

"I'm pretty sure that if I were to get off of you I'd wake right up." Kathleen moved one of her hands up from his chest to his neck. "I don't really want to though."

"So you'd be willing to just lie here with me forever? Never wake up? Never get back to the fight?" Fred arched an eyebrow.

Kathleen smiled down at him, leaning in toward him. "As long as it's you, Fred, I don't care about fighting." She closed the gap between their lips. They broke apart a moment later and Fred looked confused and hurt. "You aren't Fred, even if you do that bad imitation of Will's technique." She put a light kiss on his cheek and sat up on him. "You're nothing but a figment of my mind, clinging to a man that's probably missing, or dead." She looked down at him and sighed. "You aren't really him, so I can't stay." She moved off of him onto the grass beside him.

The light above her burned her eyes as they opened. It was suddenly pulled back and she realized that it must have been a flashlight. There was now a medic leaning over her. He turned away and shouted for a doctor. She wasn't in the same medical room on the ship as before. This one looked more like it must have been on a base. There was more equipment than before, and she wondered where they were. The famous medical ship had been destroyed, and it was the only thing more equipped than the ground bases.

A doctor came in a minute later. Kathleen just did as he instructed as he tested her awareness. She answered questions when asked and just waited for him to tell her what happened. He didn't, he just informed her that she would have to stay in bed for a while so that she could be monitored.

As soon as she left Kathleen sat up in her bed. She looked around, trying to find something she could wear other than the paper gown. She wasn't going to sit around and be monitored, that was for sure. The door to her room opened and she was surprised to see Tobias, David, and Luke. David stayed by the door while Tobias moved over to Kathleen. He put a bag down on the bed and she opened it. Inside there was a fresh set of ODSS fatigues. She nodded to him and started to get dressed. Luke and Tobias turned away as she did.

"You were out for like…what, three weeks?" Luke nodded and Tobias continued. "Apparently Shadow Blade radioed a nearby Covenant ship. They sent down a phantom and picked us up. Their ships aren't really set up for taking care of us, so once we'd gotten back through the portal, we were transferred to another ship. From there we were moved to Earth."

Kathleen froze at that last part. She slipped on her shirt and sat down on the cot again. "So Earth is still around? Guess they handled the flood that was here."

"From what we can tell they did all right without us." Tobias turned around to face her. "The elites have gone back to their own planet, but apparently Lord Hood is in talks with the Arbiter for peace between the two species."

Kathleen nodded. That was good news. Humanity couldn't fight off the elites right now. They needed to rebuild, not get into another war. "And what about High Charity?"

The three soldiers exchanged glances before Tobias spoke. "Something went wrong and the station didn't detonate. Instead it crashed into the Ark, which is what was on the other side of the portal. From what we understand the Master Chief and Arbiter detonated a half constructed Halo right there at the Ark to destroy it and the flood. The Arbiter made it back through the portal, the Master Chief didn't."

Kathleen took in the news. So they had failed in their objective, but John had gotten the job done. At least that part of it. The gravemind was a danger, but not all the flood had been on that station. It was still out there, and it was still a danger. "What about the rest of the team?"

"Well, most of us are still supposed to be in our medial beds, but we decided that was pointless. James is still having some treatment for his burns, Edward is still bandaged up quite a bit and he's got a cast on one of his arms. Emily still hasn't woken up, but Edward is pretty sure she'll wake up."

Kathleen nodded. Not all of her team was dead. That was all that mattered. She stood from the bed and moved out of the room. Her soldiers fell into line behind her. She made a few stops as she moved through the building. James was laying on one of the beds, a nurse injecting him with something. From the way she was laughing he must have been hitting on her, though she didn't seem all that interested. His burns seemed to be healing and she was certain it was only time before he would get back out. She then made a stop at Emily's room. Edward was in there, sitting by her bed, leaning back in a chair. His left arm was in a cast while his right hand was on the bed, holding his partner's. Emily just lay in the bed, a breathing tube down her throat, though from the look of it her heart was beating on its own. Kathleen didn't like seeing one of her soldiers like that. Helpless and unable to fight what had happened to them. All the worse, it was her fault. She'd forced Emily back into combat when she'd been badly hurt. The guilt weighted on her shoulders and Kathleen had to turn away. She moved out of the medical building and Tobias showed her the way to the area that was their barracks.

It was an old storage building that they'd simply cleared out and had set up cots in. They'd even gotten some gym equipment and set it on one side of the room with a mat for sparring. Kathleen moved to the cot she knew was hers. She only knew it was hers because someone had left her bloody broken black helmet at the foot of the bed. She picked it up and sat down on her cot. Kathleen looked around the room. When she'd come in there had been an air of tension, but as she looked around she realized what it was. The soldiers didn't seem to know what to do with themselves.

Matthew sat on a cot, staring at a datapad, though Kathleen had no idea what he was reading. David had gone to his cot and had started to clean his boots while Max was picking through his medical kit, making note of what he was missing. Luke had gone over to Peter's cot and had laid down with the other man. Patrick was typing away on a datapad, probably hacking into something. Tym lay on his cot, staring up at the ceiling and Tobias was now sitting on his cot sharpening a knife carefully. There was something to all of it though. Nothing was urgent, nothing had the same determination. They were all just busying themselves, trying to make it last until they were giving something to do.

Kathleen moved to her footlocker and put the helmet away in there. There was very little in the footlocker, just a pair of boots, a combat knife, some clothing, and three helmets. Her Mark V from Reach ,her Mark VI with the broken visor from the first time that Blade had smashed it, and now her helmet from the Ark. The only real proof that they'd taken part. Well, the helmets and the scars.

Kathleen moved back to her cot and lay down. She could already feel the scar tissue on her side stretching to accommodate her range of movements. She raised her hand and looked at the marking from where the spike had gone through her. She didn't even want to think of what other new scars she might have. She reached up and felt where the flood form had tried to infect her but Blade had saved her.

Her mind went to the elite, wondering how his team had faired. She pushed those thoughts aside. For now she had to focus on her team, and whatever might be their next task.


	38. The offer

DECEMBER 28, 2552(MILITARY CALENDAR)

Kathleen flipped through the report, scrolling from report after report. She didn't like any of it. The faces of her team stared back at her, making it all the harder to read those bright red words. Unfit for duty. How could it be that here entire unit was suddenly unable to fight? She once more checked over the injury lists and tried to decide if it was really as bad as the report said, or if there was something else at work.

Most of the soldiers were listed with injuries to limbs that would impair their ability walk or move. Most of them were looking at needing prosthetics if they ever wanted to have anywhere near normal limb function. A few had head injuries that the medical staff had deemed too dangerous to risk more damage. She didn't really need this report to tell her how damaged her soldiers were now. She saw it in their little limps, in the hesitation as they prepared to force their limbs to work when they didn't want to. She saw it in Luke's missing eye which had ruined his depth perception. In Patrick's hand which had been mangled and couldn't be used to type any more. Kathleen knew that her soldiers were damaged, but she never thought they were broken beyond a point they could overcome. Apparently the UNSC didn't agree.

Kathleen turned her gaze to the ONI officer sitting across the table from her. He watched her carefully, and Kathleen didn't like it. She knew that there was something she wanted, and with ONI there was always a catch. She sat down the datapad and the man watched her for a moment before speaking. "So?"

"So? So I think they are completely wrong. My soldiers can overcome these minor injuries and come back stronger than ever." Kathleen set her forearms on the table. "They don't know my soldiers like I do."

"Ah, but their ruling is still law. That means that your soldiers will all be discharged and sent to whatever little bit of land humanity still has." There was a look in the officer's eyes, like a cat who had finally cornered a mouse he'd been chasing for a while. Maybe that was too hubris of Kathleen to think. Her team had been unfriendly toward ONI, but it might be a bit much to think that they'd at all been going after her soldiers.

"That is unless I do whatever it is that you're about to tell me I have to." Kathleen leaned a bit forward on the table. "Because the only way I'm going to agree to anything is if it saves my soldiers from a life of useless existence." It's not like the UNSC would fix their problems before sending them off. They'd leave them crippled with no family, friends, home, or job. Something Kathleen couldn't accept.

The officer leaned forward as well. "It's not like what we're offering is a bad thing. We simply want to offer you a chance to fix these damages to your soldiers, and improve them. We want to fully marry the advancements of the Spartan II, Spartan III, and ODSS projects. We have the ODSS, we have a Spartan II who trained those ODSS to be like Spartans. Now we want to use the augmentation procedures of the Spartan III program to make them Spartan IVs. Voluntary soldiers who give their lives to the UNSC and are given the training and augmentations of Spartans."

"Except my soldiers aren't exactly volunteering. They are being coursed with the fear of being tossed aside as the UNSC does with soldiers." Kathleen scowled at the man. She'd been unhappy from the moment that he'd said the word augmentations. "You may not be aware, sir, but my soldiers take pride in the fact that they would be worthy of the Spartan name without the burden of augmentations. The augmentations won't even fix the worse of the injuries to their bodies. Why, then, should I agree to this?"

The officer smiled back pleasantly. "Because when your project's name starts with the word Spartan you have a pretty good budget. Including a budget just to fix the injuries of war like those. Your team would be fixed up by our finest surgeons, have all their worst injuries fixed, including limbs replaced with flesh ones. They would be the standard at which all Spartan IV teams after would be judged against."

"Then every later class would be a failure compared to my team. You would be setting them all up to fail." Not that Kathleen wasn't a bit guilty of that herself. Without augmentations her soldiers would never reach the same standard that she fought at. It wasn't physically possible.

"You seem to think so much of your team. You seem to think them even better than the Spartan IIs." The officer shook his head a bit and there was disapproval in his eyes, though Kathleen didn't care what he thought.

"Well, we did go to the ark, fight the flood for quite a long time. We also managed to actually come back from the Ark, with our elites in tack, not a single soldier lost." Kathleen kept her face neutral, sure that the man would get the reference to the missing Spartan II.

A scowl crossed the officer's face. "Careful what you say. You are insulting a hero of all humanity." He was trying to be threatening but the knowledge that she could snap his neck with very little effort kept Kathleen from feeling anything but annoyed with him.

"He's a hero to you, but I still know him as that selfish kid from training who only managed to come out on top as leader because the proper leader wasn't willing to take charge. He's a man that relies completely on luck to get things done for him. My team relies on skill. Luck is for the weak. Besides, what he did didn't save anything. High Charity would have gone through the portal. He never would have killed Truth without the help of the Arbiter and the flood at the time. I have read the reports and I know what happened, so don't try to treat me like one of the mindless masses you feed that crap to."

The officer scowled a bit more. Apparently he didn't like her attitude. "You should be careful, as you are talking to an officer."

"No, I'm talking to a member of ONI. A true officer is a soldier, someone that actually cares about the people under their command. ONI does not seem to work under those same rules. Why should I trust my soldiers under the command of ONI?" Kathleen wasn't sure if taking the deal was at all a good idea. She wanted to be sure that there were no hidden cost for taking the deal.

"Well how they would be treated would be up to you. Your command of your team would remain, and you would be given upgraded armor, weapons, and a new AI that would be able to assist you. The only thing that would change would be that you'd be better funded, your soldiers would be stronger, faster, and fixed, and you would get the nice perk of a promotion." The officer smiled at the last part, as though that would be enough to seal the deal.

"Rank doesn't mean all that much to me. I spent years at a lower rank then the highest Spartan and did just fine. We would remain marines, correct?" Kathleen wasn't really all that interested in ranks. She'd known privates that were smarter and knew more about combat then a Lieutenant, so she didn't think much of them.

The officer seemed to consider the condition for a moment and then nodded. "I'm sure we could keep you in the marine path of rank, but you'll have to abide by the navy chain of command. Is that satisfactory?" Kathleen nodded. "Well then we can count your soldier in for this project?" Kathleen shook her head. "Why not?"

"You said voluntary. I'm going to take this to them and ask them. I can guess their answer, but it would be presumptuous of me to pretend that I can speak for them." Kathleen stood up. "I will be in touch with you by the end of the day." She didn't want any longer before she moved out of the secure room.

Kathleen turned down the hallway and started to make her way back to the barracks. She was sure there was still a catch somewhere in the deal, though it was still odd to her that they wanted her soldiers for the project. It would take them more money to fix the problems with her soldiers then to just train new ones. Kathleen thought for a moment, realizing that she'd never heard any report of the Spartan IIs or IIIs being found. They had left and there had been no word from them since. Was that why they needed this project? They didn't have Spartans to shine the way, to give people hope. Well, her team could give them victories, complete whatever they were told to do, but she wasn't sure about being a poster child of the UNSC every time someone questioned them.

Kathleen reached the barracks and when she walked in she found what she had expected. Patrick was trying hopelessly to get his mangled hand to move properly to type. Tobias was doing push-ups, trying to strengthen his left arm which had lost almost all use. Peter and Luke were throwing a ball back and forward, though it kept hitting Luke in the head. Max was sitting on the far end, sewing into an orange for some reason, though Kathleen noted that his hands shook a bit. Along the other side of the barracks Tym sat on his cot, flicking a lighter open and close, though it was out of fuel so there was no flame. Edward was sleeping on his cot while Emily sat beside him, practicing some reflex techniques. Her movements were sluggish, and Kathleen could see Emily's annoyance.

When Kathleen entered the room all eyes turned to her. Tym put his lighter away. "So, what's the awful news, Sarge?" They were all braced for it, waiting for how bad things were.

Kathleen moved over to her cot and sat down. "Well it doesn't have to be awful. It could be good, but it could be awful. I don't want questions until the end of my explanation." The soldiers gathered around, listening carefully. Kathleen looked around at them and decided to not leave out any detail. "The UNSC had deemed all of you unfit for combat. They are looking to discharge you." She could see the surprise on her soldier's faces, some of them mix with fear. "They are giving you an option that would allow you to stay in the military, fix the worst of the injuries. The problem is that they would augment you. They want us to be the new Spartan IV project. We would get more advanced armor, weapons, and a new AI. All the problems from injuries after High Charity will be surgically fixed. We would remain marines, and we would be the first in what is supposed to be many classes of Spartan IVs."

The soldiers were all quite for a while and then one of them spoke. Tobias leaned a bit forward. "There's no other way?" Kathleen shook her head. "And what would happen to you if we didn't take this option?"

Kathleen paused at that. She hadn't asked about that part of it all. "I don't know. I didn't ask." She hadn't cared what would happen to her. She knew they'd keep her fighting, since she was the last Spartan, but the details hadn't mattered.

Emily raised her hand and Kathleen nodded to her. "Is there supposed to be some sort of question in that?"

Kathleen nodded. "The Spartan IVs are fully voluntary. You have to choose yourselves to take part in it. I won't force you to."

Emily furrowed her brow and frowned. "I still don't understand what the question is. It allows us to continue to fight and doesn't force us to go live lives that we don't have any more. How is it a question?"

"I thought you were going to like ask us what number we wanted. Spartans have numbers, right? I'm sure that Patrick could hack in and give us whatever names we want." Tobias smiled at his teammate. "I call being 115."

"Well you'll have to wait until they fix my hand. It would take me ages with one hand and speed is important to not be caught." Patrick smiled at his fellow soldier.

Kathleen looked around at them. "Any of you not want to take part." No one said anything so she nodded. "All right, then I'll give them your answer." She stood and her team all went back to what they were doing. She could hear them chatting with each other. She knew that they had no idea the pain of the augmentations ahead, nor did they care that they were going to be tools of ONI. It was for the better.

Kathleen moved over to the terminal to contact the officer, glancing back only as Emily kicked Tym and said something about a number. She shook her head and patched through to the ONI spook.

The screen light up and the face of the officer smiled at her. "I expect that your team have made their decision." Kathleen hated him at that moment, because he already knew what she was going to say.

Kathleen pushed aside that anger and spoke. "We're in."


	39. Changes

JANUARY 12, 2553(MILITARY CALENDAR)

Kathleen looked up and down the lines of beds. On each one sat one of her soldiers, helpless to fight the pain they were being put through. She knew they could take it, and she'd been informed of how successful the augmentations had been on the Spartan IIIs. Kathleen had her worries, though. She remembered the fact that half of the Spartan IIs had died from the procedures, and that the augmentations hadn't ever been used on adults.

She could see where the chemicals were being injected, slowly changing her soldiers into a lesser version of what she'd been made into. It would strengthen their bones so they could use power armor, increase their reaction time, changed them so that their muscles would be more dense, allowing them to become physically stronger without bulking up, and increase their sight, even in the dark. It would be more than she wanted for them. Still, this was the only way they could continue to serve. The only thing they were really going to be missing was her height.

Kathleen remembered the pain of her augmentation, the cuts that had been all over her body from the surgeries. Her soldiers now still had the marks of recent surgery, though that had nothing to do with the augmentations. The doctors had gone in and fixed all that they could for the marines, though none of them had really had any recovery time before the augmentations started. It was odd to think that these chemicals could do the same thing as surgeons had done to her with knife and scalpel. Then again, maybe that's why there were less deaths.

Kathleen turned and moved out of the room. It would be some time before the procedures would be completely finished and they would wake up. Before then she still wanted to check out the armor that was being prepared for them. She stopped at the door, looking back at the soldiers. She had a sense of dread, but she knew it was all in her head. She was just remembering the fear she'd have before her own augmentations. She remembered waking up and being told that everyone she knew and cared about was dead from them. It was just an old fear rearing its head again, nothing more.

Kathleen moved down the hallway, heading for the main laboratories onboard the ship. One of the ONI technicians had said it was like a blessing that this ship had survived the war. It had taken on the most injured of the soldiers, though Kathleen knew better. Those that were higher up, political, they got here even before the soldiers who needed it. Still, it was the only facility with the sort of staff that Kathleen's team needed in order to not only have the damage fixed, but for the augmentations to be done properly.

The doors to the lab slid open and Kathleen moved in. She looked around and found nothing but unfamiliar faces. She missed the staff of the _Starfall_. Unfortunately, their former ship had died valiantly in the battle for Earth. Many of the crew had been killed and those that weren't were being reassigned to other ships. Kathleen still had no idea where her team would be assigned, but she hoped it was somewhere useful. Still, the staff of the ship had been good to her team. The female technician who had helped Kathleen get the armor that she used, the black color and ODST attachments.

Kathleen knew which suits were her team's right away. She'd made the case that the Covenant knew her team looking a particular way, and she'd managed to get the staff to bend to her demands. There were twelve suits of what was the new Mark VII armor. Supposedly it was the final version of the armor, though Kathleen doubted that ONI would stop at just mark VII. She looked over the clean black plates, knowing that eventually they'd be as scared and burnt as the old armor that her team had used. She moved to stand before the armor that would be hers. She frowned at the helmet. Damn ONI, still wouldn't give her an ODST helmet. All the other suits had full ODST gear. Only her shoulders were ODST. The chest plate was different. She could see that it still had the same extra pouches as before, but there was a place on the other side of the armor for a knife that hadn't been there before. The Mark VI helmet still stared back at her, though she was happy to see her face reflected on the black surface. They'd even outfitted her soldier's armors with black visors.

Kathleen moved down the line and then turned to one of the technicians. "When will the detail work be done?" The man stared at her, not seeming to quite understand the question. Kathleen repeated it again. "When will the detail colors be added to my team's armor?"

"We weren't informed of any detail colors, ma'am." The man glanced toward another tech who just shrugged. "We can't make changes without ONI approval."

Kathleen scowled at him. "The detail color of my soldier's armor was approved." Of course ONI would try something like this. Kathleen should have realized it. They were trying to make them like the Spartans, no individuality to their armor. "You'll be sent a list of the colors that these are to be marked with. If you want to save your ass, fine, just make sure I get the paint." The man nodded and Kathleen was satisfied. Even if these guys would do it, maybe she'd let her soldiers have the fun of marking up their own armor.

Kathleen moved out of the lab and headed toward the barracks, wondering how her soldiers were fairing. She frowned as she was hit with a bit of regret that Maria wasn't there. She'd been an asset to the team, and Kathleen had read the reports. High Charity hadn't detonated which meant that the AI had been destroyed in vain. Kathleen didn't mind her soldiers dying, as long as what they died for was worthwhile. Maria had died for nothing.

Kathleen glanced toward a close by terminal. She would have contacted the ship's AI to have it check on her soldiers but she didn't really trust the AI. She'd just have to check on it manually. She wasn't sure if she just wasn't ready to rely on another AI, or if she didn't trust the one in this system. She was betting on the latter. There was something about the AI that made Kathleen think that everything it was hearing it would report back to ONI. She didn't like that.

Kathleen reached the barracks and the door slid open. She moved in and looked around at the twelve cots. Each one had a footlocker at the foot of the bed and she could see gear stowed under the cots. Kathleen moved down the line until she reached her own cot, moving to sit down on her footlocker. The barracks were so quite it was disturbing.

The holopad near the end of the room came to life and Kathleen frowned as she looked at the AI, not recognizing it. The AI looked to be like an adventurer from some sort of fantasy land. Kathleen couldn't tell what gender it was but she could see the horned helmet on its head, the wolf armor that it wore with iron boots and gauntlets. It held an ornate bow in its left hand, a quiver full of arrows on its back.

Kathleen got up and moved over to the holopad. When she got near she could see that the AI was female, though it was barely obvious under the armor. "Who are you?" Kathleen looked the figure over, not recognizing it even a little.

The AI stood up tall and slid its bow onto its back. "I am Iceri. I am to be the AI that will be assigned to your team."

Kathleen raised an eyebrow. "Will be, as in not yet assigned to my team. If you haven't been assigned yet then why are you here?" The AI shrugged and Kathleen paused for a moment. "Very well, if you are to be my AI I'd like to know a few things. Is there anything you aren't allowed to tell me. Not asking for specifics, only a yes or no."

"Yes, but those are simply the classified information that any AI wouldn't be able to tell you." Iceri looked away for a moment and then back to Kathleen. "We have a lot of clearance, so there is very little other then the personal plans of the ONI director that I can access."

Kathleen nodded. She was going to like having more access to information. She was tired of not being given the full picture. "So tell me something, Iceri. I know that ONI has something planned, some reason for why it is that I need to have my team. Can you tell me why?"

Iceri was only quite for less than a second before answering. "From what I can tell your team is like a test drive for the augmentations. At the same time while your team is put into the field they will be training the next group, who will have to be trained as Spartans. Your soldiers are already trained and can be sent out to represent humanity and give the survivors hope with the continued existence of Spartans to defend what's left."

Kathleen nodded. She'd figured something like that would be what they had planned. She'd known that they'd been partially chosen because they could go into combat right away, not have to wait like the next class would. "Do you have any idea where we'll be deployed first?"

Iceri smiled a bit. "You're first going to be sent to some ship called _Infinity_ to test out some sort of training equipment they have. That's all they have planned for you for now, but I think you'll be happy until they give you further orders."

Kathleen concentrated for a moment, trying to figure out if she recognized the name of the ship. "I've never heard of the _Infinity._ "

"Well you wouldn't have. I have no records of its construction or it even being ordered. I can't even find a layout of the ship. All I know is that they've said you'll be testing out a live action full environment training field. I looked into the records you kept of your training exercises and made some inquiries. I hope to hear back from them soon about if they can or can't support your games."

Kathleen nodded, a bit pleased. "So you're a smart AI? We've never had one of those before. We're used to not getting the fancy stuff."

Iceri tilted her head to the side. "You assume that I'm a smart AI. This is correct, but why would you not even allow me to answer?"

"Well you did something without a direct order. I basically assumed that since you did something independent like that, you are a smart AI. I've worked with a 'dumb' AI and she never would have done something without my permission first." Kathleen paused for a moment. "Didn't someone say something about two AI, not one?"

Iceri nodded again. "You will be outfitted with two AI. Your armor and helmet have been adjusted for this. It will also allow one AI to focus on you and your team, while the other will be more focused on the enemy. It is another system that I believe you are going to be testing out."

Kathleen nodded, understanding. ONI was just going to use them to test out everything they'd later fix the bugs in and then give to the other Spartans. "Do you like this other AI?"

Iceri took several seconds to think that over. It was a long time for an AI to be thinking. "He and I get along, sort of. He is made to force his way into systems. I am made to sneak into them. We're very different."

Kathleen nodded again, understanding. "Sometimes it's those people that are nothing like you that you get along with the best." Kathleen thought of Fred and how different he was from her. They'd loved each other, so she was sure two AI could get along. "When do I get to meet this second one?"

"Once he's put into this system. Right now he is still not aboard the ship. It shouldn't be long, though, before he joins us." Iceri crossed her arms, obviously not looking forward to the second AI's arrival.

Kathleen ignored all of that. The two of them would have to deal with it. "Can you check up on my soldiers? What's their conditions?"

"All of them are green at the moment. I'm constantly monitoring their conditions and I'll alert you if anything changes, or when they wake up." Kathleen nodded, kind of liking the bit of initiative of the AI, though she was sure that would eventually run thin when she stepped over some sort of bound. "Alert me when the new AI is put into the system. When he is I'd like to meet him."

"Very well then, ma'am. Oh, and you have a message from ONI. They said that they have made the appropriate rank upgrades to you and your soldiers. They hope that it will make it easier in the field." Iceri. "It seems they have made a two rank jump for each of your soldiers."

Kathleen thought about that a moment, listing in her head the ranks that they'd all have. At least it would make it easier, and more logical, for Tym and Tobias. No one would question Staff sergeants being in charge of a team under her. She paused, realizing that meant her own rank had gone up to First Lieutenant. She wasn't sure if she liked being an officer, but at least now it meant that she could order information out of lower officers, not that she usually dealt with anything under the rank of captain so it was pointless anyway.

"I'm going to get some sleep. Wake me when I'm needed." She rolled onto her side and the light blue light of the AI vanished. Kathleen closed her eyes, letting herself be pulled into sleep. For now on this ship there was nothing that she could do. Oddly she dreamed, and for some reason she dreamed of Blade. Some odd dream about a long walk with him debating some sort of philosophical thing about the Covenant. When she woke up she couldn't remember it, but she could remember what he'd said to her. The last thing he'd said to her was 'In the end we look at only the differences and ignore the similarities. As long as we do that, there can never be unity.'

Kathleen lay on her cot, staring up at the ceiling trying to figure out what they'd been talking about which had caused the elite to say such a thing in her dream. Her attention was pulled away when Iceri spoke. "Lieutenant, your soldiers have woken up. I'm sure you wanted to be alerted of this."

Kathleen nodded and sat up. "Thank you, Iceri." She stood from the cot and moved out of the barracks, heading toward the medical bay to see her soldiers. She had no need to worry about unimportant dreams. She needed to stay focused in reality.


	40. Testing

FEBRUARY 13, 2553(MILITARY CALENDAR)

Kathleen crouched in the foliage. The leaves around her were perfectly outlined by the VISR system, showing ever leaf, twig, and drop of water. The new VISR system was better than the old version they had been using and Kathleen had a particular like for. It was better at outlining far away targets and marking them as foes. The system had gotten a weapon recognition system so as she watched Patrick and Matthew stalk though the plants the VISR indicated they had DMRs.

Kathleen was a bit pleased. She'd put a lot of effort into putting weapons in random places that people wouldn't have found them or they would be looked over. She'd also removed the VISR system from their use during this exercise. If she hadn't it would have just outlined the weapons for them and identified them.

The ODSS had been set to head to a ship called _Infinity_ but after some breaks in protocol, and an incident with some hacking, they'd had the orders changed. Now they were stationed at a base on Earth in order to train back up to their former strength and prepare for their first full mission after the augmentations. It annoyed Kathleen, though she supposed she was happier training here. It was enough dealing with the new feeling of two smart AI in her armor and dealing with the new armor. She was glad to be on solid ground and to have one less invention to check out. Kathleen almost wished she could just have Mark V or Mark VI armor, not this stupid Mark VII armor. She sort of hated having the best of things, maybe she could turn more of it down, make things more interesting.

The soldiers were currently working on learning the newer systems of their armor. The ODSS had never had something so high tech. Kathleen smirked as she noticed the red phoenix on a yellow shield background that was on both of the soldier's armor. ONI had already reprimanded them for it, wanting them to refrain from using the ODSS symbol. Kathleen had ignored them and they eventually came to the agreement that her soldiers weren't considered part of the Spartan IV program. They're augmentations as tests for the actual program. It allowed them to continue to do Spartan jobs while not putting such violent and destructive missions on the Spartan record. Win-win in Kathleen's mind.

Kathleen nodded, glad with the performance of her soldiers, not that she would ever tell them. She'd only just now allowed them to have their armor, though they'd been eyeing it for some time. The first week she'd had them do nothing but standard drills to get used to the changes in their bodies. Then they'd gone back to their normal exercises. No weapons, no armor, and just teams against teams. Now she had given them their armor, and was testing it out. They had caught on quick and were now using it like it was a part of them. She was satisfied with their ability to use it, for now.

Kathleen moved from her spot and headed toward the filed up ahead that they were all supposed to be heading toward. She clicked a control and pinged her AIs. "You ready?" An icon appeared on her HUD of a set of claw marks made of fire and a low voice chuckled. Good, then he was ready. "I hope you'll be able to manage it. Make sure not to underestimate them."

"I still wish you would have gone with my idea to give them swords and shields. I would have found that ammusing." The deep voice chuckled again and the icon vanished. Kathleen moved through the forest and toward the open area where her soldiers had gathered and were waiting for her next orders.

Kathleen moved up to a high rock and lay down. "All right, go ahead and have some fun Alduin." Kathleen smirked and just waited for the fun to start.

Kathleen's eyes turned toward the sky as she heard the rumble in the air above. "I am still not sure if this is a great idea. You do realize that during the test we've based this on the Spartan nearly got killed." Alduin seemed a bit uneasy. "I'm not saying I don't agree it is a good test but I won't get to have fun if they are all dead."

"Don't question me, Alduin. If things get too bad I'll tell you to stop and you can break off. Just stay focused, Icrei can't do it all on her own and still keep a feel of individuality to the fight." Kathleen watched her soldiers who were now searching the skies for whatever might attack them. She wondered if they'd be expecting what was on its way. "And remember to record."

Kathleen focused in through the scope of her DMR and made sure her own systems were recording what she was watching. It wouldn't be able to see things as well as her but for sure she knew that she get some footage. She watched them focus on the sky, unaware of the turrets in the forest nearby that were turning toward them. She was sure they couldn't see the ones camouflaged in the rocks. She wondered how they'd handle the attack.

The pelican had just appeared for its run when the turrets opened fire. It was rather fun to watch as they took action. She wasn't sure how they decided who would go where but they moved, dodging out of the lines of fire. "Alduin, can you patch me into their COMMs?"

"Just a moment, Lieutenant." Alduin's icon blinked and then turned solid. "I have patched you into their COMMs. You can hear them but they can't hear you. Thought that would work better for your purpose of spying on them."

"Don't think of it as spying. Think of it as using my privileges as head ass kicker." Kathleen watched the groups peel of and frowned as there was no chatter on the COMMs. Though now that she thought of it unless she was giving direct orders she tended to just trust her soldiers and let them do as they knew to do. She supposed it was never something that she'd thought about until she was a spectator.

The constant fire of the turrets gave their position away easily and like a well-oiled machine the ODSS split up and moved to take them out. As it was hard to watch all of them at once so she knew she'd have to watch the footage again later in order to see it all. She caught a glimpse of Emily and Edward, Emily pulling much further ahead of Edward as she raced toward the forest. She caught sight of Matthew and James crossing the ground to another set of turrets in the forest. There was a flash of Luke and Peter racing across the field toward the rocks with David, Max, and Patrick behind them. There was a screeching noise and Kathleen looked over in time to see Edward bending the barrel of one of the turrets back on itself while Emily had simply kicked the one she was to destroy off its stand and power supply.

She didn't see Matthew destroy his turret but it was in several places. She did note that James was crouched beside the ammunition crate of the second turret. She zoomed in just in time to see him running. There was a small explosion and the ammunition set fire, taking out the turret. She didn't see what Luke and Peter had done but they'd twisted the two turrets together. Kathleen's eyes turned toward the Pelican which was speeding toward the group of soldiers.

"Ha, they fell for it. Now to send in the real attack." Alduin chuckled in a low evil way that sounded like a super villain from a child's cartoon. She watched as the pelican turned away and sped off.

"Alduin, why did you pull back the pelican?" She didn't really know what the AI had planned and she sort of wanted it to be a surprise. It was sort of a test to see how creative the AI was as well. She didn't know how these smart AI would stack up to Maria, and if their only real up side was their creativity then she wanted to test it.

"Peter has hacked into the controls of the pelican. Good thing that was just to distract him from my actual attack." Just as he said it Kathleen looked up as a longsword zoomed overhead. Kathleen wasn't sure if she approved of such large firepower being used, but she'd given him no limitations.

The canons opened fire and the ODSS that were out in the open sprinted toward the forest. Just as the longsword crossed over the field it fired out a series of ASGM-missiles. The field suddenly turned into a cloud of smoke. Kathleen cursed as her vision was obscured and she tucked against the rock. A wave of heat washed over her and debris hit her shield, dropping it slightly. She didn't bother switching to thermal, it would all be hot from the missile explosion.

"Alduin, tell me you didn't just kill my soldiers." Kathleen scowled as she waited for the smoke to clear enough for him to see the area.

"Oh don't you worry, they are all fine." Alduin seemed a bit annoyed by the situation. Kathleen checked her bio signs of her soldiers and they were all elevated but steady. "Only a few burns but they are fine." Still the AI seemed annoyed.

"All of my turrets have been destroyed and the pelican is heading back to the air base. Oh, that's rather bold of them. Already heading out into the field." Iceri seemed fascinated by whatever she could see. The image on Kathleen's HUD changed to penetrate the smoke and show eleven figures moving back to the center of the field. They weren't running and seemed calm.

" _Do you think it will come back?_ " Kathleen couldn't see if Luke was looking toward the sky or not but she could guess he was. " _I hope it doesn't. I like Longswords and really don't want to bring it down."_

" _Well if it comes back to blast the crap out of us then you damn well be ready to destroy it,"_ Matthew scolded. " _I sure as hell am not being made into apile of ashes just because you don't realize there's more than one longsword._ "

" _Some people have no appreciation for the fine machinery of the UNSC._ " Luke was obviously trying to poke at Matthew, which was a good sign. They'd nearly been blown up and they were already trying to pick fights.

Kathleen was just preparing to contact Alduin when the AI spoke back. "Before you ask I didn't target any of them. I fired around them, not at them." Alduin sent her a video feed of the longsword landing at a nearby airfield. "They are safe."

"All right then, time to put an end to the test." Once she was sure all of her soldiers were gathers she moved from her rock, heading toward them. They all turned toward her as she reached them. "Well, we're done testing our armor. You seem to be capable of using it adequately." She paused for a moment. "NO one burned too much?" She looked around at them waiting for an answer.

"Nope, just nice and toasty," Tobias answered.

Kathleen decided to move on as no one was injured. "Well next time I'll be the one in charge of the test and we'll see what I can come up with. Certainly a Longsword isn't quite up to my standards." Kathleen looked them over and was pleased to see that they didn't react. "All right, take the armor off and hit the showers. Later on tonight, I'm going to give you a little present and I'll expect at least a month or more of twice as much effort as I saw today to repay me."

Her soldiers moved off, muttering between themselves about what it might be. She figured that since they'd gotten the hang of the armor, and she wasn't going to take it from them. She'd give them the paint tonight, let them properly put a seal of ownership on them. The ODSS symbols on the shoulder were nice, but she wanted to make a deeper bond between her soldiers and the armor. They would be spending a good bit of time in them, relying on them, so they would have to have a connection with the equipment. Giving them a personal flair might be exactly what they needed.

Kathleen turned and walked a different way. She would have to have the paint delivered, which would mean going down to the lab in order to tell them to send it up since it wasn't approved by ONI and they all seemed about ready to cower in a corner from the ONI spooks above them.

"Lieutenant," Iceri spoke up in Kathleen's helmet. "The Captain would like to see you. He says he has orders."

"Understood. Tell him that I'll be there shortly." Kathleen changed directions and headed toward the main headquarters of the base. She stepped into the officer's officer and saluted the Captain. "You requested to see me, sir?"

The Captain motioned her forward and she moved over to stand on the other side of the holotank in the center of the room. "I was hoping you could give me an update on your soldier's progress."

Kathleen frowned. She could have sworn Iceri said something about orders. She pushed that aside and just answered the question. "My soldiers have adjusted to their new bodies, have built up their strength and are matching all of the goals that were set for them, passing them even. They are fully able to use their armor and are preparing to move on to team actions using their armor."

The Captain nodded and then looked to the datapad in his hand. "I got a message, just today. It took so long to get to me because it had to go through several people in order to get to me to give to you. Seems a friend of yours has asked for your help. I can arrange for you to meet up with him, but until I know what I'd be agreeing to we can't just send our only Spartans to help them."

Kathleen thought for a moment before she spoke. "Sir, there is only one being in the universe that I think constitutes a friend of mine. I find it hard to believe that ONI would let me even go meet him." She sort of wished they would. She knew so little of what was happening anywhere but on the base. She just hadn't cared for a while, or had the chance to really contact anyone that wasn't on planet.

"Well that's the good thing. You've got ONI all annoyed with how you seem to be ignoring them. With that along and all the things that are going on, well let's just say things slip through the cracks, and I think that this endeavor, if it is something that could use the attention of your soldiers, could be very useful for the UNSC and humanity as a whole."

Kathleen nodded, sort of pleased with the idea of sneaking under ONI's radar. They did annoy her so and she'd like any chance to go against their secretive ways and the likely chance that they would use her team improperly. "Sir, you said that you could sneak me in. What about my team?"

"They would stay here. Reports would still be made up about them that would make it seem like you were still here, but you'd be gone for a while." The Captain tapped the pad and whatever he'd been looking at vanished. "That way you can see if this mission is worth the time, and at the same time your soldiers can improve with their armor."

Kathleen hated the idea of being away from her soldiers, but whatever her friend might have, might just be worth it. "All right, when am I leaving?"

"Tomorrow would be the best. The Ship _Winter's Monument_ will be heading out and I've given the Captain orders to meet up with the ship in a different system that will take you to your final destination." Kathleen nodded. "That will be all. You might want to spend the time preparing your soldiers."

Kathleen nodded and turned, leaving the office and heading to the lab. She still needed to have the paint delivered. "Will you be taking me or Alduin with you?" Iceri asked.

"No, you'll both stay here to keep an eye on the team and help them improve." Kathleen turned down the proper hallway. "I'll go on my own. Don't worry, I can handle him. Not like I haven't torn off half his face anyway."

"Very well then, Lieutenant. Also, the message that was sent has been sent to me. I can play it for you if you wish." Iceri brought up the audio file on her HUD.

"Play it." Kathleen listened intently, expecting it to have to translate.

The voice on the message must have been filtered through a translator because it came out in a way she could understand. " _My friend, I am requesting your assistance. There is a threat here that I feel puts both our species at risk. I ask you to come and speak to me at the least._ "

Kathleen frowned at the message. A threat to both species. That was not good. She just hoped that it wasn't the Flood he was talking about. She took a deep breath and muttered. "I'm coming, Blade."


	41. New destination

FEBRUARY 25, 2553

Kathleen stood in the room, not sure how comfortable she felt. It had been an annoying trip to get here. In order to make the trip Kathleen had been taken to another system, without being on the passenger list, then when a phantom came on board to take back some of the Covenant property she'd slipped on, being taken back to the Covenant ship called _Eternal Rapture_. She'd been stowed away with the cargo for the trip to the planet, at which point she was hidden in a crate in order to be moved to the main building. As soon as she was in they had opened the crate and an elite that spoke fairly good English led her to this room and then left. It was all just annoying to her, just too complicated for her style.

It was all so odd here. The furniture and structure were ornate. Not as ornate as on some of the major Covenant ships, but still more fancy then Kathleen had expected. She moved out to the balcony that was high over the city. She could see the streets below with elites walking around. It was odd to see so many out of armor, but odder was that none of them were in vehicles. In the war the Covenant had some of the most advanced vehicles. She wondered if they had any causal transport, ones that didn't have guns on them.

Kathleen stared up toward the landscape ahead and could see the lines of forerunner structures in the distance. She wondered if they had any useful purpose, or if they were just decoration. Though, if her race had evolved with such structures sticking up all around, maybe they too would have thought the forerunners gods for building them way back before humanity had such ability, or understanding that there could have been species before them.

The door slid open and Kathleen turned to it. The elite moved into the room, one that Kathleen didn't recognize. He wore brilliant golden armor, but it wasn't the bright gold of the field masters. It looked like actual gold, a bit darker and dirtier. He motioned toward the table and Kathleen wondered where Blade was. Kathleen hesitated for a moment before she sat down in one of the chairs around the table in the center of the room. She had to sit on the edge as the large chair was made more for the curved back of the elite then a human. It felt odd to sit in a floating chair, but she tried to put that discomfort aside.

The gold armored elite sat down across from Kathleen and she waited for him to speak. "So, I hear that you are a Spartan."

Kathleen shrugged a bit, surprised at how good the elite's English was. "That's what they call us. Though it's not the name that me or my _warriors_ prefer." Kathleen had been trying to learn the covenant language, so she had been slipping in a few of the words that she knew when she spoke to the elites here. Hopefully it would be like going to Reach and trying to learn Hungarian. Spend time around those that speak it, and maybe you pick it up a bit faster.

"Then what term do you prefer, my friend?" The elite sat back in his chair and Kathleen mused that he somehow looked less threatening. He reminded her of a Captain on a ship, or a businessman in his office. Powerful to a point, but easy to crush the skull of. She was fairly sure, though, that he would put up one hell of a fist fight if she wanted to take him on.

"Well we are known as the ODSS. I'm not really sure if that translates well for you, though." Kathleen leaned a bit on the table to make it easier to sit. The chair was far from comfortable for a human. She hoped that their beds would be more comfortable since she'd have to stay at least one night.

"Well, in the coming times I believe that words such as demon and heretic will be commonly used for you. I hope you do not mind these titles." The elite glanced toward the door. Maybe they were both just passing the time for Blade to show up.

"Either of those names suit us just fine. I'm a bit annoyed as they were both words that were used for the Spartans, but I hear that they are trying to call them Spartans now, not demons." Kathleen had gotten a bit of information about the elites post-war. She wasn't sure how much of it was true.

"Yes, we are trying to call them Spartans. It is not an easy transition to make. I assure you, that your team would be earning these titles by destroying your enemies and truly striking fear into their hearts while you tear down all that they believe in." The elite growled, apparently he hated whoever it was that Kathleen would be fighting.

"You can just call me by my rank like most people. First Lieutenant. I think it's like a field master in your ranks. I'm never sure what ranks match up but don't. I know it's under a ship master cause I can't control a ship." Kathleen had been confused by the ranking system of the elites. "Or I suppose a Field Marshal. A single leader with a group of strong soldiers in a singular team that is sent out on its own. Seems to fit me and my team."

"Well, I believe that if you are in such a position, then Commander would be the proper term. Field Marshals were religious artifact hunters, stealth. From what I hear stealth isn't your thing." Kathleen shrugged. "One of my oldest friends was a Special Ops Commander. He led a group of highly trained elite warriors into battle." The elite's hand moved up to the left side of his chest. "In fast I took part in a mission with him when I first became Arbiter. We were sent in to clear out a heretic, kill him and everyone that followed him." The Arbiter's head hung a bit. "Only now do I see that he was telling the truth all along. I should have known when I found out he was listening to an oracle."

Kathleen frowned, not understanding. She understood that he was telling the truth, which was what really mattered. "So you're the Arbiter. You helped the Master Chief on the Ark. The one that's trying to get humans and elites to be at peace." The Arbiter nodded. "You were telling the truth there. You're actually regretful about what happened, about following the prophets so blindly."

"Yes. So long our people were dying in battle because they told us too. Both our species are injured, need time to insure that we survive. I see no reason to pick a fight that might get my people killed. I know it is much to ask forgiveness, but I seek it at all, which I hope counts for something."

"You have a lot to apologize for. Families torn apart, children with no one to raise them, a planet that has to hold all that's left of our people who are broken and desperate. It's not the soldiers that we're angry about, I'm sure some are, but it's the innocent that were killed when they were not a part of this." The Arbiter shifted uneasily in his chair and Kathleen just watched him, seeing how he would react.

"It has been long since the innocent of Sanghilos have been hurt. It looked back at the past of my people, to when the prophets first came to us. They killed many innocent on our planet, but it is a pain that has been so long lost to our people." The Arbiter flexed his hands. "It is a pain that I understand. I was shamed by the prophets, by failing what they had decided long ago was an act of heresy. As a result my wife, my children, were slaughtered as is custom. None of them had ever done anything to deserve such a thing. Still, it was the will of the prophets so, with nothing but my life left I became their Arbiter." The Arbiter closed his eyes. "Then they stabbed us in the back and so many of us were killed. I seek to rebuild, a world without prophets, that is not bound to the lies of the forerunners that they taught us. The first step to that is peace with humanity, though I think they may never forgive us, which has made my people aggressive. Some of them fear that humanity will attack us while we are weaker, kill us off."

"I don't think that's going to happen. Mainly because our leaders understand that we aren't strong enough to do that now. This war left all involved broken. Honestly if I had my way we wouldn't be making peace with you, we'd be making unity." The Arbiter tilted his head to the side and spoke. "You're strong warriors, but what do you know of growing food?"

The Arbiter grumbled. "I know very little. My wife knew more, but still, so much of that was controlled by the prophets, now we must relearn it all."

"And there's where we could help each other. We know how to grow, never forgot it. The first planet you attacked, was nothing but farmers. Though people from that planet still live, still know the trade and will practice it for humanity. You have anti-gravity technology, and as I understand it more advanced medical items. We could help each other in this time of need." To Kathleen it was so simple.

"You hold no ill will toward my people? If you were once a Spartan were you not their friend? Do you not feel anger over their deaths?" The Arbiter leaned forward a bit more, watching Kathleen carefully.

Kathleen shook her head. "I've fought alongside your kind. Blade is probably the only person in the universe I would call my friend. Yes, I am a bit sad for the death of the Spartans, but I don't hold it against the soldiers what those in control order them to do. We killed many of your people, and you killed many of ours. That's how war goes. I personally don't see why when the war is over, when peace can be made, that we can't let go of the past. Understand?"

The Arbiter chuckled and shook his head. "Do I understand? Do you know why I became Arbiter?" Kathleen shook her head. "Because I failed to stop the Master Chief from destroying the first Halo. Yes, I understand letting go of the past. I stood beside the man that cost me everything until the end, and here I sit, with almost all of it back again." The Arbiter sat up a bit taller. "I have a new wife, I have my keep back, and my name has been returned to me."

The door opened again and Kathleen stood as Blade entered the room. "Kiadon, I am sorry if I am interrupting." Blade moved around the table to stand before Kathleen. "I am glad that you came."

"Well you said it might put humanity in danger. How can I ignore that?" Sure, Kathleen had come also because she wasn't willing to abandon a friend, but he didn't need to know that.

Blade nodded and then turned to the Arbiter. "Do you mind if I take the lead, sir?" He bowed a bit to the Arbiter as he asked.

"By all means, Blade. You are the one that called her here." The Arbiter leaned back in his chair to listen to whatever Blade had to say.

Kathleen frowned and then looked to Blade. "Is he a higher rank then you?" Blade nodded. "Well now I feel like I haven't paid proper respect to him."

"Think nothing of it. You are my guest here, and you did not know that this is my keep." The Arbiter motioned to the room around her. "My name is Thel Vandam, by the way. Kiadon of Vandam keep."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you. I am Kathleen-one-one-three. Leader of the ODSS." She turned back to Blade. "All right, tell me why you brought me here."

"It is not a simple thing to tell. I will tell you the fastest version I can. This is not my original keep." Kathleen nodded. She had some understanding of elite names, and the second half of their name was their keep. Blade's last name hadn't been Vandam when she'd first met him. "I came here after being sent away from my original keep. The important thing is why I was sent away." Blade paced back in forward in the room as he spoke. "I was sent away because when the Kiadon went to the other keeps to speak his piece about peace with humanity, my Kiadon called in his best warriors. I was one of them. He wanted to have a party created to come and assassinate the Arbiter. I spoke up, told him that such a thing was foolish, and that instead we need to focus on our keep. My Kiadon is very against humanity, and looks to take control of our people, gather them to attack yours. He banished me, tried to have me killed for supporting peace with your people."

Kathleen tapped her finger on the desk. "So your keep is still looking to kill the Arbiter?" She wasn't very aware of how elite politics worked, but something seemed wrong.

"In our society a single individual has a right to try to assassinate another political leader who he does not agree with. Though things are not like that. The Abiding Truth are attacking places, a group of elites that are attacking those that go against their purist ways of following the Forerunners. I know that my former Kiadon will attack Vandam keep with whatever he can. He will not challenge the Arbiter, but have others do it for him."

"Guess you were right," Kathleen muttered. Blade looked at her, confused. "It's nothing, just…So what do you want me and my soldiers for?"

"I want to strike down whatever it is that might be planning to attack Vandam keep. I want to strike at them before they can be ready. You are the only ones that I truly trust to stand at my side in this task. If they kill the Arbiter, my Kiadon, they will attack humanity again. The Abiding Truth is blind, and they can easily be swayed by those who are more focused on instead attacking the humans. What is worse is that my former keep will be preparing for not just an attack, but from how their Kiadon does things, he will start war with us, until one side or both are dead." Blade looked to Kathleen, moving to stand by her chair. "I am asking your help, my friend."

Kathleen shrugged and stood. "Well I'm all with you. If I could I'd go out there with you right now and slaughter the entire keep if that's what we'd have to do. The problem is I only came to hear you out. I have to take this information back to the UNSC, and then they have to deploy my entire team. Right now they are training." Kathleen paused for a moment and smirked at Blade. "They're stronger, faster, and have my kind of armor now. Trust me, it's like having 11 slightly weaker than me soldiers that will be willing to kill whatever gets in our way."

Blade chuckled and leaned in a bit closer so that he and Kathleen could glare at each other. "I have even more soldiers under my command. Many of the elites who had been tossed from their homes for believing in peace. Warriors of all ranks." He growled and Kathleen narrowed her eyes.

"Well, I'm going to take this information back to my command, and do whatever I have to in order to convince them that we are needed here." Kathleen stood up and became neutral.

Blade nodded. "Very well." He stood up and looked down at Kathleen. "Well, you have much time left in the day here before we can send you out tomorrow. Perhaps you would like to know more of my culture."

Kathleen shrugged. "Couldn't hurt. I mean I'd like to know what's different about the two cultures, and what's the same."

"I do not think you will find much that is the same." Blade turned to the Arbiter. "If you have nothing else to discuss with her then I would like to take her to see some sights, from a distance."

The Arbiter nodded and stood. "It was a pleasure to talk to you _Demon_. I hope that you will be working here in my keep very soon." The Arbiter looked to Blade and then back to Kathleen. "Together we can find a new path. One that is not reliant on belief in some gods or some grand reward of power in the end." The Arbiter nodded to the two of them and then walked out of the door.

Blade watched him go and then turned to Kathleen. "What was he talking about?"

Kathleen waved it off. "Weren't you going to show me some sights?" Blade nodded and walked out of the room, Kathleen following behind him.


	42. New orders

MARCH 3, 2553(MILITARY CALENDAR)

Kathleen stood tall as she listened to Lord Hood's speech. She hated being here. Not because she didn't feel this was important, it was. She was just sure there were more important things her soldiers could have been doing rather than making a public appearance at a memorial. She was sure there was some building they could be helping with, or moving some supplies or something to help what little was left of humanity. There might even been a rebellion that they could be fighting, but instead they were standing here listening to a speech.

Kathleen's attention wasn't even on the speech. She was staring at the Arbiter who stood up front. Her team was a distance back, so they were out of sight, away from the main public eye, but still present. She stared at the back of the elite, thinking of Blade. She wasn't sure how he was doing. She didn't know if he was already fighting his old keep or if they were still waiting to know if her soldiers would come to their aid. She still hadn't gotten an answer back from the UNSC about her request for the mission.

Kathleen's gaze turned to the only other thing in the crowd that mattered to her. The three Spartans that stood tall as they listened to the speech. She recognized each of them, still able to see their faces from so many years ago. It was hard to mistake Linda or Kelly for anyone else. Kathleen felt a bit of regret for Kelly. She'd lost Sam and now she'd lost John. Kathleen was well aware of the sort of pain that loss could cause in a person. Her gaze fell on the last of the living Spartans and she wasn't sure how she felt. There standing tall was Fred. He was so close but still so far away. She could walk over there and talk to him but she wouldn't, maybe even didn't want to. Too many doubts and fears about talking to the Spartan IIs again rose up when she even thought of it.

It still felt a bit good to know that even one of their team had made it. She was aware though, that Will wasn't with them. She knew he'd gone with them to the planet known as Onyx. She didn't want to think about what it meant that he wasn't with them but she couldn't deny that it meant he was dead. It seemed like so many had died during this war. Maria was gone, even though her team had been given two new AI she still missed Maria at times. Saran was now gone, the man who had shown her that she could be a leader. She owed him a lot, and she was disappointed that she would never be able to thank him.

Red team was all but gone. Fred was the only other member left, though she doubted he really remembered those days. He was a part of blue team now. She didn't think he'd even remember her if she walked up to him and said hello. It was a depressing though so she banished it to the dark recesses of her mind. She needed to be focused. She still had her team, and they still had a job to do, eventually.

Kathleen glanced toward her soldiers. They all stood at attention, though she could tell they weren't really listening. Kathleen wondered what mission the UNSC might have for them next. She was still hoping they would hear her out about Blade's mission and deploy them there but she wouldn't hold her breath. Her gaze turned to the Spartan IIs and the odd group of soldiers that were standing with them. She didn't recognize them but they all looked so young. Too young to be standing beside Spartans. She wondered what was in store for them. She'd heard about what happened in ONI, they'd offered her a copy of the full file on her before she became a Spartan. She didn't need it. She knew what she needed to know about herself.

The ceremony ended but Kathleen stayed standing as the soldiers started to leave. She was watching the Spartans, watching them as they moved. She wasn't really sure what else to do. Right now they still didn't have orders so she was like a hiker without a map or compass. She lacked any knowledge of what direction to go. Her soldiers didn't say anything, just stood and waited.

Kathleen waited until a lot of the crowd had thinned out before she moved forward. She walked up to the monument and just stared at the pictures and flowers. She read over the plates with words raised off of the surface. She just stared at the list of Spartan names. So then the three that had attended were all that were left. She wondered if now that the war was over that finally they'd be allowed to die, to be KIA instead of MIA. She doubted it.

Kathleen turned away from the monument and walked back to her soldiers. Tobias stood, staring down at a small datascreen. He looked up as she approached and handed the device to her. She read over what was on the screen. Most of it was just Iceri and Alduin fighting but at the very top of the conversation was a message from Iceri.

"All right, marines, time to get moving. I'm going to get us some new orders." Kathleen handed the screen back to Tobias and set off for their barracks, her team following behind her. She made her way back to the barracks and they all changed out of their dress uniforms and into more comfortable clothing. Kathleen changed into a clean shirt and pants and left the barracks.

There was an odd feeling in the base. It was something that she just wasn't familiar at all. It was a hopeful upbeat sort of feeling, and it made Kathleen unsteady. She was just so used to the fearful and angry way people had been for the last 25 years. It unnerved Kathleen more to see people being hopeful then them ever being fearful of the Covenant. Still, it was a false hope. Humanity was in tatters and so much of what it had was destroyed. What was left of humanity was cowering on the planets that remained, and the UNSC was weakened. If the elites decided to attack again then humanity would finally fall. It was good to see the Arbiter here as a sign of peace.

Kathleen reached the office and knocked. The door slid back and she walked in. She stood tall before the desk, waiting for the Admiral to speak. The man didn't speak right away. He was reading something, as though ignoring Kathleen. She was annoyed by it, as she had been called here, but she let it go. After all this man was a higher rank and getting pissed at an officer that was higher than you wasn't usually considered proper. Still, she was left waiting for over five minutes. That was too long.

Finally the Admiral looked up, finally taking notice of Kathleen. "First Lieutenant, I have some orders for you. The UNSC is regrouping what remains of the Spartan III program. They, along with the Spartan IIs are being offered a chance to work with the Spartan IV group." Kathleen frowned at that. This wasn't good news to her. She didn't like the idea of having to combine her team at all with the Spartans.

"Sir, what does this mean to my team?" She didn't really care about much else. She only cared about what it would mean for the future of her team.

"For the most part it means nothing to you. ONI has decided to keep your team for the dirty work and put the Spartans on the main missions, but it does mean that you'll be sharing the same quarters when not on missions with Spartans." Kathleen nodded. "We got your report on the situation with the elites. You were rather insistent that you wanted to assist them. Well, you're in luck because the brass agrees that keeping the elites stable and wanting peace is important to giving humanity a chance to survive."

Kathleen relaxed a bit, glad to know that the brass saw it the same way as she did. "My soldiers are ready and willing to do what they must in order to keep what little bit of peace we have, sir."

"I'm glad to hear that, First Lieutenant. Now, the only thing is that humanity isn't too sure about being seen as active in sangheili politics. In order to keep things under wraps the plan right now is for you to travel to a different system, and meet with a Covenant ship which will then take you and your soldiers to the planet. There you'll meet up with the Shadows and get to work. I'm leaving it up to you once you get there. Your team messes up and the UNSC will claim that you are AWOL, understood?" The Admiral narrowed his eyes, studying Kathleen carefully.

Kathleen nodded. "Understood sir. Is there anything else?"

"No, that is all, First Lieutenant. You are dismissed." Kathleen nodded and then left the room, leaving the Admiral to return to his reading.

Kathleen moved down the hallway to her team's barracks. When she opened the door she wasn't too happy with what she found. In the center of the room her soldiers stood on one side of the center aisle. On the other side stood the three Spartan IIs and the smaller soldiers which Kathleen now guessed were Spartan IIIs. Though from the look of it they were just kids. She didn't see what good they could do.

The real problem was that Fred was trying to reprimand her soldiers. She marched through the room and put herself between her soldiers and Fred. He looked at her, surprised and slightly annoyed. "Excuse me, I am busy at the moment."

"Are you scolding my soldiers?" Kathleen demanded. She crossed her arms over her chest. "No one insults and reprimands them but me, got it, marshmallow." Kathleen looked back at her soldiers. "What did you do anyway?"

"We were just complaining about how those kids are going to be a pain in the ass. I mean, we don't have to work with them do we?" Tobias eyed the Spartan IIIs with disapproving looks.

"No, we aren't going to be working with them. Though honestly I agree with you. I don't think they could handle our line of work. Did it end up in any fists being thrown?" Tobias shook his head and Kathleen turned to Fred. "Then what's the problem."

"The Spartan IIIs are fellow soldiers and should be treated with respect, not mocked and insulted. I don't appreciate my soldiers being insulted." Fred frowned at her and she could see that he was more annoyed. She wasn't sure if it was because she was basically siding with her soldiers or because she was undermining his authority.

"Respect is earned, not given." Kathleen shook her head. "Damn, you still are just as soft as ever. If they're soldiers then they can handle a bit of talk. It's not like anyone's been hurt…yet."

"I don't know who you are but I am an officer and have the right to rebuke your soldiers for improper conduct." Fred tried to stand up taller to seem more intimidating but Kathleen wasn't buying it. "I am Lieutenant Junior grade, Fredric-104."

"I know who you are, though whoever gave you that rank should be discharged for such a stupid decision. That's completely beside the point. If you have a problem with my soldiers then you should come to me. I am a First Lieutenant and am the only one allowed to reprimand them." Kathleen put her hands on her hips and waited for his response.

"I do have a problem with your soldiers. It wasn't only words that were the problem. One of your soldiers also made unwanted advances toward one of my soldiers." Fred glanced back to Kelly and then to Kathleen.

Kathleen looked back toward her soldiers and Tobias shrugged. "What, she's hot? It's not like I was forceful or anything, just asked her if she wanted to have a good time."

Kathleen shook her head at him. "Stop wasting your time soldier, stick to chasing tail that's your height." She then looked to Kelly. "If he does that again just smack him. He can take it and it should just make him leave." Kathleen then turned back to Fred. "Any other problems with my team?" Her words were bitter, with an anger that she was trying very hard to keep from coming up, though it was harder then she expected.

Fred shook his head. "As long as they behave themselves and find something else to do with their time than insult my soldiers, we shouldn't have any problem with that."

"Well as there's no Covenant or Flood around to kill they don't have much other options. Good thing we'll be gone tomorrow anyway, so as long as you can be a man for a day and take a few insults we'll be fine." Kathleen crossed her arms, fighting the urge to hit him for not knowing who she was. It was okay that Kelly and Linda didn't know who she was, she'd never been as close to either of them as she had been to her team. Though here, standing right before her former team leader, her old best friend, and the man she'd loved, and he had no idea who she was.

Fred nodded and Kathleen watched him move back to his cot. She turned and moved through the barracks, leaving again and heading to the gym. She needed to work off her anger and pain, and working out was the best way she knew. She moved to the speed bag knowing that hitting something would be the ideal way to work out her frustration. She wasn't sure how much later it was when she finally stopped. She'd let out most of her frustration for not being able to just slap him and tell her who she was.

When she finished Kathleen headed for the lockers, quickly getting undressed and heading for the showers. She stood under the warm water, just lost in her thoughts. She just wanted to get off this planet, get back into combat, her true home. She wanted to be away from the Spartans who had all long ago forgotten her. She closed her eyes and just let the water wash over her, thinking instead on the mission ahead of her. She thought of Blade and took satisfaction that soon she'd be fighting alongside the elite again. She felt like if they'd met up after almost thirty years apart Blade would still know who she was, in or out of armor. Her thoughts again turned to the Spartans and the pain. She balled up her fist and fought back all the sad and painful feelings. She wanted to do nothing more than let it out, but such an action seemed below her, like something Fred would do. Instead she slammed her fist into the wall of the showers, leaving a large dent. At least soon enough she'd have hinge-heads to kill and let out this frustration.

She wasn't sure how must later it was that she finally turned the water off and grabbed a towel as she moved back to her locker. She quickly got dressed before heading back to the barracks. She was sort of expecting what she found. Usually the ODSS barracks would be full of noise, fighting and chatter, but things were quiet. The Spartans were all going about normal tasks while her soldiers were all gone. They had likely waited a while and then gone to the gym. She was fairly sure they avoiding training while she was around so she wasn't pointing out their flaws.

Kathleen stared across the room to where Fred was sitting. He was watching her intently, studying her as she moved through the barracks. The combat knife he had been sharpening was held loosely in his hand, forgotten. There was a confused look on his face and if Kathleen were trying to insult him she would have compared him to a Neanderthal trying to think of something. She crushed down any hopes that maybe, somewhere in there he remembered her. She had known this day was coming, the day that she realized she was forgotten. Still it hadn't made it hurt any less to see Fred have no idea who she was.

Kathleen moved to her cot and looked down at the ball of black on her sheets. She sat down and the lump moved, head lifting to look at her. It let out a tired meow and Kathleen reached back to scratch the feline's head. She lay down and ODSK unhappily moved from her spot. Kathleen lay on her back and the feline moved onto her stomach, curling up. Kathleen absently scratched ODSK's back, rewarded with a steady purr that helped give Kathleen something to focus on, to calm her and help her get to sleep. She would need her sleep tonight Tomorrow would be a busy day.


	43. Sanghelios

MARCH, 2553(MILITARY CALENDAR)

Kathleen did not enjoy being on a ship, that she was sure of. Still it was better than being on that base with the Spartans, a group of people who didn't remember her. She was almost eager to reach Sanghelios, the Sangheili home world. She was actually eager to see Shadow Blade again. It would be nice to have someone who knew who she was, who she could argue and talk with. She remembered being on Sanghelios before, the things that Blade had told her about the planet. It was the only reason she didn't have a problem with wearing her armor. That and she wanted to show off to the shadows a bit.

Kathleen moved her arm, looking down at the new armor. She'd made a few modifications to it, much as all of her team had. She'd mainly modified it to handle more arms. Two knives on her chest plate, a set of shotgun shells on the waist armor, and an extra-large pouch in order to carry more supplies on her thigh. She had wanted to mark up her armor but she had decided that it just didn't fit her. She liked the all black of her armor, though the real problem was that she couldn't think of any other color that would suit her properly.

The technicians finished putting her armor on and she moved down from the platform. Tym and Tobias were already waiting for her. They were the more subtle examples of having modified their armor. Tym had painted his armor with his normal green but had also installed a series of clips and such for holding more explosives. Tobias had been a bit more subtle, having only added small studs to the knuckles of hands, his elbows, and to the knees of his armor. Tobias had used the same red paint as before but had also put a red fist on his chest. Kathleen knew what the point was, showing he was a hand-to-hand fighter, but to her it looked a lot like a rebellion symbol.

"What's the news?" Kathleen asked. She moved past them, heading for the door. Her team would already be preparing for heading down to the planet and she was sure they had all read up on the elite's homeworld and knew what to expect.

"All packed and ready to go. Everything is being loaded onto the pelican," Tobias reported. "We're all ready to get moving, really want off this ship. We're rather excited to get to see the planet that the Shadows came from."

"Well I'll tell you one thing about it, it's certainly alien. Can be anywhere from cold to cooking your ass. I don't want anyone picking any fights with people we don't know. We don't know their culture so chose your words carefully when you speak to someone that doesn't know much about humans," Kathleen instructed.

Kathleen slipped her helmet on and as soon as she did the familiar voice of Alduin echoed in her helmet like thunder. "Causing an interspecies incident would be a bad idea. We are supposed to be guests…even if we have been invited here to kill some of them." There was a pleased tone to the last part of Alduin's words. He did seem to like the idea of killing the elites that were against humanity. "The man from ONI will be heading down to the planet in ten minutes. Our ship will be disguised as an escort, though we will land a distance away, at which point we will be on our own on a planet of aliens that might still want to kill us. And with your diplomatic skills this should be fun."

Kathleen ignored the AI. "Let's just get to the pelican and get down to the planet. The less time I have to be on a ship the better." Kathleen couldn't have good solid ground under her feet soon enough. The door slid open to the cargo bay and Kathleen could see that her team was just as eager to get off the ship as she was. They were gathered around the pelican, waiting to get going.

Unlike the Spartans who all looked the same in their armor Kathleen didn't need to look closely to tell which of her soldiers were which. It wasn't just the highlight colors that they'd chosen. From Edward and the assortment of knives on his armor to the circuit lines that Patrick had put on his armor, to the crosshairs on Peter's armor. Each ODSS had put their own style to their armor.

They all snapped to the ready once they spotted her. If they were less disciplined they would have all already gotten onto the ship. Instead they waited until she reached the bottom of the steps and heading to the pelican before they started to board. They didn't make a sound as they took their seats. Or maybe they weren't so silent and instead were talking on a private COMM. It didn't matter to her so she wouldn't bother them. She simply took her seat and waited.

The ride felt like it took hours even though it was only minutes. She hated pelican rides. They always seemed to take forever and there was nothing to do. She watched her soldiers, the slight indications that they were speaking to one another. She felt left out and wondered why it was that they weren't including her in the conversation.

"Iceri, what are my soldiers talking about?" The AI would be able to crack into their COMMs without being noticed. If Kathleen was never great at hacking, let alone doing it without being noticed. She could just shout at them and tell them not to leave her out of conversations but they were all excited to be visiting the elite home world and she didn't want to spoil that.

"They are talking about what they think it will be like on the planet. Mostly just wondering what it looks like. I believe that they are leaving you out so you don't spoil the surprise." Iceri's voice held a hint of amusement. "You're not missing much."

Kathleen examined the body language of her soldiers. It wasn't loose and relaxed like it should be for such a conversation. "You know you lose points with me if you lie, Iceri." Her soldiers weren't talking about the planet below, that was for sure.

Iceri let out an audible sigh. It was probably something she did more for Kathleen's benefit. It was odd to have AI that took such effort to make them seem human. Or maybe they did it on accident since smart AI were so human. It was a bit concerning, and all the weirder to have one in her head and then another as well that sometimes felt more like a dark demon in the back of her head. "They are having their normal conversation," Iceri finally said.

Kathleen knew what conversation she was talking about. The soldiers had been having it the entire time she was gone, and she'd caught them talking it over since she had returned. They always tried to keep it from her, maybe knowing how bad it made her feel to know that it troubled them. They were discussing their augmentations. "Let me listen in."

"Are you sure, Lieutenant?" Iceri's voice was hesitant, hinting at the questions that she didn't ask. She'd voiced her concern before about Kathleen listening in on this conversation, worried about what effects it might have on her.

"Just tap me in, Iceri. I want to hear." Kathleen felt it was important to hear it. She wanted to hear how they felt about the choice and the consequences. They had taken the augmentations because they'd had no other choice to remain soldiers, and a part of her still felt guilty because their loyalty to her was likely their main reason for their acceptance. Either that or because of how she'd trained them, made them unable to accept anything other than being soldiers. No matter what she felt guilty.

"I just don't know what they'll think of it. I mean, I'm not sure if they really have a view on it," Matthew said. "Have you ever heard one talk about it?"

"I don't think they know about it. I mean, they just know that Spartans are stronger than normal soldiers. I don't think that the word augmentation means anything to them." Tobias paused for a second before speaking again. "Does it even translate?"

"I'm not sure," Patrick spoke up. "I don't think anyone has really talked to them about the Spartans so I don't think anyone has really tried to translate it."

"It doesn't matter," Emily spoke up. "When we go down there we'll have to tell the Shadows that we were enhanced unnaturally to make us stronger and faster. The only thing that matters is how that will make them view us. Do you really think they'll think less of us?"

"I don't think so. Most likely they will just expect more from us then before, so we'll have to show them how proper soldiers work." Edward didn't seem as concerned with the situation as all the others were. Though Kathleen had no idea if he actually didn't care of was just acting.

"We'll have to show them how Spartans should have been if they'd been trained properly. Maybe they'll have to come up with a name worse than demon for us after we're done. Something like devil." Peter chuckled a bit at his own trash talk. "Or whatever's worse in Elite culture."

"Sangheili," Max corrected. "We're on their planet so we should call them by the correct name. Should be a great place to learn their language better, though."

"Still hard to say some of their words. Just don't have the jaw for it," Luke joked.

"Wonder if they can teach us some awesome insults and curse words. That way we can insult other soldiers without them knowing and we get the added bonus of confusing them," Tym proposed.

Kathleen frowned as she realized what they'd done. She let out a long breath and turned her head toward Patrick. "How'd you know?"

Patrick scoffed. "You gave me over a day with this stuff. Of course I was able to mess with the COMMs some. Put in a little program that indicates when another connection is made to the channel."

Kathleen considered the creation. "Can you help Iceri use that information to make a reverse of the code? A way to hack communications without being detected." If she could use her solder's tinkering toward their advantage maybe she could use it as a good enough excuse as to why she doesn't need to punish Patrick for tipping the others off.

"You give me an hour and she and I can figure out how to do it," Patrick assured her. "I mean with a genius mind and a Smart AI we should be able to come up with something that works for human and Covenant networks."

"Good, then I don't have to put you on laundry duty for daring to tip off the rest of the team." There was a silence and Kathleen addressed the issue they were trying to hide from her. "If they think less of you for being augmented then I give you permission to kick their ass and show them that it just means they'll have to work harder to keep up with us."

The soldiers didn't reply, though she hadn't expected them to. They wouldn't even really talk to her about their worries. Every time she walked in on the conversation they shut up, just as they had changed the subject this time. He wasn't sure if it annoyed her or not that they wouldn't allow her to talk about it. She under stood they didn't want to burden her with the guilt, but she was hurt that they didn't trust her enough to speak to her about it.

The pelican slowed and shifted, indicating that they were landing. It was only a minute later when there was a slight bump and she knew they'd landed. Kathleen stood and keyed the rear hatch, opening it up to show the world beyond. She didn't look back at her soldiers, knowing that she wouldn't be able to see the look on their faces anyway as they stepped onto the alien world. She stepped out into the courtyard and glanced back, seeing that her soldiers were unloading their supplies.

A great force hit Kathleen and she was sent rolling across the courtyard. Her feet moved and stopped her roll, pushing herself to a position that she could stand. The First Lieutenant turned toward the direction the force had come from and spotted what she really should have expected. Blade was standing from where he'd rolled to a stop. Kathleen didn't even hesitate before she launched herself toward him, running and hitting him at full force.

Kathleen grabbed onto the elite's chest armor as they tumbled for a moment and then finally came to a stop, Kathleen on top of the alien. Her hand moved to Blade's neck and held his head away from her, knowing that he could still bite her even with only two mandibles. Her other hand pulled out one of the knifes on the chest of her armor and moved it to press against his neck.

Kathleen only relaxed when she realized that the elite wasn't fighting back. He was simply lying on the ground under her. Kathleen pulled her knife back and got off Blade, realizing that they weren't really fighting. No point in killing him if he wasn't going to fight back in her opinion.

Blade stood up and dusted himself off. "I take it you are done?" He glanced toward her soldiers and scoffed. "They did not give you more soldiers?" The sangheili's gaze turned behind him where a dozen sangheili Shadow soldiers stepped up.

"Didn't need more soldiers, though I see you did. I go for quality, improving what I've already got with the physical strength and speed of the Spartans, not just getting more of them to cover up my soldiers suck." Kathleen smirked behind her visor as Blade growled.

"My soldiers need no improvement. The sangheili are strong and need not alteration," Blade snapped. He motioned to Kathleen as he turned and started to walk into the building. "We shouldn't be outside for too long. The Kiadon doesn't want it to be known yet that you and your team are here. He is not sure yet how the other keeps that he is trying to get cooperation from will take him allowing humans to fight on our planet."

"Guess I can understand that," Kathleen motioned to her team to follow as she followed Blade into the building. "So, anything new with the keep?"

"We have things to discuss, but there is time for that. The kiadon is busy meeting with that stupid professor, whatever that is, that is on the planet. I don't like it, don't like letting some human come around and learn from our planet, about our people." Blade huffed as he lead them down a hall and toward a large room where there were another five Shadow soldiers setting up what looked to be living quarters.

"Well you're letting us come here and learn about your species," Kathleen pointed out, eyeing the beds that they were setting up. None of it looked very comfortable. "You're even letting us come here and kill some of you."

"You are not the same as this other human. You earned the right to come here, through honorable combat. This other human…" Blade didn't finish his thought but Kathleen could tell from his tone that he wasn't happy at all.

"Well don't you worry, butter knife, I'm with you. A professor is a scientist, which means he's probably with ONI, which means that I hate him too. Maybe we can arrange for an accident to kill him," Kathleen suggested.

Blade chuckled and shook his head. "That might look bad if he dies under the kiadon's watch. Wouldn't look too good for us. Though he might prove a proper distraction for our actions. I have troubling news, information that will make things harder."

Kathleen rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "Sounds like more things to kill to me." Blade didn't seem to share her enthusiasm, which was a troubling sign. What could have a sangheili not excited if it involved combat?


	44. Situation

Kathleen stood in the room, waiting for the Arbiter to finish his conversation with another elite. Her team was outside in the hallway since the room wasn't large enough for all of them. The room they stood in seemed to be private quarters. There was soft plush furniture, tapestries hung on the walls, and what looked to be a fireplace one one side if the room. It reminded Kathleen of the room Blade had taken her to the last time she'd been in the Keep. The room where he'd explained some of his culture.

The unknown elite left and the Arbiter turned to Kathleen and Blade. "I am glad that you made it safely, Demon." The Kiadon greeted. "There is information that you must see." He moved over to a table and picked up a Covenant datapad. "We intercepted a few communications and believe there is a group of sangheili who will attack Vadam Keep."

He handed the datapad over to Kathleen. She didn't understand anything that was written on it, not fluent enough in the writing to be able to read the data. "I can't really read your language. Can you just tell me what you found?"

"My apologies. Shadow Blade speaks of you like you are one of us. I forget that you are not," the Arbiter explained. "What we have found is that a few cruisers have been taken, increased chatter between a few keeps, and references to the Abiding Truth. The Abiding truth is a religious group, and I know they see what I am doing as blasphemy. I have lost my faith, have no reverence for the forerunner structures." Kathleen heard Blade snarled a bit but she ignored it. "I know that they are behind this. They want me dead."

Kathleen frowned, not particularly happy with the news. It was bad enough that Blade's Keep was after the Arbiter but there was also a possible rebellion. "So they want to kill you and have someone replace you. If you can figure out who they want to replace you we can assassinate him, mess up their plan and give us time to root them out and kill every last one."

The Arbiter shook his head. "We have no evidence that they have anyone to replace me. Simply that they want me dead."

Kathleen furrowed her brow, not understanding. Maybe she was thinking about this too humanly, or maybe too much like a soldier. "So you're saying they haven't thought past you dying. That means we're either dealing with a group of stupid idealistic fools that don't understand how things work or the organization has a secretly power hungry leader that's just waiting for his chance. We can also probably assume that if they have no official person to take over then you can be sure any allies probably are looking to take power themselves." Kathleen tapped her finger against the chin of her helmet.

"If you'll excuse me," the Arbiter spoke up. "I must greet the human I have invited or look like a bad host. Blade can answer any questions you might have." With that the Kiadon left.

Kathleen payed no mind to him, focusing instead on the information and possible steps they could take against the rebellion. She was slightly aware of Blade watching her but she simply ignored him. She was trying to find any weak point that they might be able to exploit in order to weaken them. It would look better if the Arbiter could beat down the enemy rather than them falling apart in the shadows.

Blade grumbled and started to pace. Kathleen turned her attention to the agitated sangheili. "What's eating at you?"

Blade moved to the window and looked out at the Keep. "I don't like not having a simple target. There is no particular Keep, no one person that we can kill to stop this senseless rift." He growled quietly. "Besides, I have always had problems with the faithful."

"One more reason why you and I get along. Anyone that lives their life based off of faith tends to annoy me. Give me logic and physical evidence and I'm happy. I know the weight of a rifle in my hands, I can't feel the presence of a god." Kathleen moved over to stand beside Blade. "Didn't know your people came in a non-religious version. I figured there were the devote and those like the Arbiter, the faithful who had lost their faith."

"Faith blinds us. Not all of my species are blind. I would think you would know me well enough to see that." Blade snapped his mandibles in agitation.

"I sort of just figured you were a special case. I mean, if they were all logically minded like you I'd like to believe the Prophets wouldn't have been able to persuade you into genocide of my people." Kathleen supposed it didn't matter. As long as Sangheili saw things Blade's way from this point on, that was what mattered. "So what are we going to do about these rebels?"

Blade scratched absently at the scar on his neck that Kathleen had given him on Reach. "We should attempt to find their leadership and assassinate them. They may not have someone they want to take power but there must be those who are running the show."

"Agreed. Now how do we find those people?" Kathleen was eager to get back to busting skulls open. She hasn't killed anything in over a month, which wasn't acceptable.

"That will not be our duty. Vadam has soldiers who know how to find this information. I cannot see you getting it without leaving a trail of bodies." Kathleen shrugged. Blade was right. She wasn't any good at intelligence gathering. She was better at destroying things after intel got through with them. "We will let them handle it."

"So then what do we do while waiting for the intel?" Kathleen sure as hell hadn't come to the planet to do nothing. If she had to she'd resort to fighting Blade if it would pass the time.

"Well, you said your soldiers were improved." Blade let out a low excited growl. "You have not met my new soldiers. It seems like a great time to catch up, and to inform your troops of what is going on."

Kathleen shrugged. "Seems like a good idea for a while. Though I came here to kill things so don't hold out on me too long." Kathleen moved toward the doors where she knew her team would be waiting.

"Maybe I can find a traitor here and let you stab him in the face. Would that make you happy?" Blade followed after her. "I should also show your soldiers to where they will be staying."

"If only you were human, Blade. If only." Kathleen moved out of the door and her soldiers turned toward her. She frowned as she realized that they were gathered around a couple of the soldiers. "What are you doing?"

"Having Arum races," Peter explained. "We're beating on if the Sangheili or human can finish the puzzles first." Undead in the center of the group stood Tobias and a Shadow, each with a ball in their hands. "Wanna try, ma'am?"

Kathleen took the Arum from the Sangheili. "Did you ever finish the one I gave you?" Blade asked. "I thought that by now you would have retrieved the jewel I put inside."

Kathleen shook her head. "Haven't really had time to mess with it since you gave it to me. Been busy and just haven't touched it since." Kathleen shifted the sphere in her hand before passing it back to the alien. "Enough playing around, follow butter knife." Blade grumbled something about the nickname but moved past the soldiers to lead the way.

"But ma'am I've almost-oh, I got it." Tobias held out the small purple stone. "Ha, suck it, hinge-head."

"Not fair. Your Field Marshal had mine," the Shadow grumbled. "If not for that I would have retrieved mine first."

"Didn't know you squid faces knew how to belly ache," Emily teased. "I call next round."

"You do realize that smashing it open is not considered solving the puzzle," Edward informed her. "You'll have to solve it the same way they are." He motioned toward the Shadow who was still trying to retrieve his stone.

"Well where's the fun in that. I'm out. I'm not wasting time spinning around a ball to get a smaller ball." Emily moved after Blade as the group started to walk. "So what's the plan, Lieutenant? When do we get to kill things?"

"Whenever they find us someone to kill. There's a possible rebellion which we have to kick in the Sangheili testacles before we can smack around Shoe Horne's old Keep for being morons." Kathleen moved ahead if her soldiers to be walking behind Shadow Blade.

Blade looked back at her, a look that was either confusion or frustration on his face. It was hard to read Sangheili and even harder as half of blades jaw was gone. Most of a Sangheili's emotions were expressed by jaw movement and Kathleen was working with half of what was needed. "I didn't understand half of what you just said," he finally grumbled.

"Just filled them in on what you told me, but in better words." Kathleen really didn't want to give the Sangheili a culture lecture at the moment. Maybe she'd take pity on him later and explain some human slang. That hadn't really been a subject they'd touched on the last time she'd been there. Blade seemed to accept the response and let the matter rest.

He led them to a large hall that was set up with beds in rows filling the space. The space was filled with elites of all kinds. Some wore traditional Shadow armor but some were in various normal armies that were just painted the Shadow colors. Kathleen hadn't expected their ranks to have swelled so much. A few of the Sangheili looked to the humans but most of them seemed to ignore them.

"Your soldiers can find places to sleep, I have something to show you." Blade motioned to Kathleen and they moved away from the group. He led her to a small training room where five soldiers were practicing with energy blades. "What do you think?"

Kathleen watched the soldiers for a few seconds, examining them. They all wore Acetic armor which Kathleen had only seen for a second the last time she'd been in the Keep. The armor was the Shadow colors, even the helmet's tusks were a black metal with the outer edges the Shadow blue. It was then she noticed that they didn't look like any Sangheili she'd ever seen. They were shorter than any of the warriors she'd ever meant and there was something sleeker about them.

"These are the females who have heard the call to be Shadows," Blade explained. "They are the first squad of female warriors there will be in Sangheili history."

Kathleen watched them a moment longer before she nodded. "How long have they been training?"

"With blades? Several days." Blade took a step toward the females and they stopped, turning toward their Commander. "Warriors, I would like to introduce you to Shadow Demon, the leader of our human forces."

"Since when have I been Shadow Demon?" The female elites looked to each other and then back to Kathleen. As one they partially bowed and put their right fist against the left breast of their armor. "Well, welcome to the shadows. Nice to know that Blade is giving you a chance you should have had from birth." Kathleen had voiced her annoyance with the tradition of female elites having limited options. "Looks like you're finally catching up with humanity." The females looked to her, apparently surprised. "Women have had the right to be soldiers in our military for a long time. I've got a long line of them in just my bloodline."

The female elites looked to each other and one stepped forward. "We were informed that you were female." The voice was that of Iceri as she translated.

"Can one of you two explain to me why she doesn't think I'm female?" Kathleen asked.

"It is likely because I have been using my voice for translation. You said that me using yours was unsettling," Alduin explained.

"Just use my voice from now on," Kathleen instructed. "Unless I instruct otherwise." Kathleen then turned her attention to the female elites. "I am female." It was difficult to focus on her own words when her voice was translating what she'd already said. "The voice you heard before was my AI." Kathleen reached up and removed her helmet, tucking it under her arm. "*Greetings*."

The females all perked up, a bit of excitement to their movements and words as they spoke to each other. Most of it was just questions about her war career and women's position in humanity. Alduin echoed the translations through her suits speakers allowing Kathleen to still understand them. It was one question that caught her attention. "Are there other females in your troops?"

"There's one other female human with me." There was a crash in the main hall and Kathleen heard Emily shout an insult in Covenant. "Speaking of female troop, that would be her." Kathleen turned and headed into the main hall.

Inside Emily had a male Sangheili pinned to the ground. The alien was struggling but it was pointless as Emily had a firm grip on its throat and was standing on its arm that wasn't trying to pry her hand from its throat. Kathleen stared at the scene, not really understanding what was going on. She turned to look at Edward who was sitting on one of the Covenant chests at the foot of a cot. "He apparently doesn't understand human and couldn't understand us telling him he needed to move over so we could have cots beside each other. Emily tried explaining with motions, got pissed, stared beating him up, and I moved his stuff to the empty cot." Edward turned his gaze back to Emily who was grinning as the elite failed to remove her hand.

"Emily, enough!" Kathleen snapped. "His stuff has been moved, conflict resolved, and you've humiliated him in front of a large collection elites, proving that he can get his butt kicked by not only a human but a female with ease." Emily moved away from the male and to the cot beside Edward's. Kathleen looked back to Blade. "Now might be a good time for that lesson on etiquette."

Blade looked to the ODSS and huffed. "If they take it as bad as you I think I might want to give the lesson from across the room." He shook his head a bit but moved over to the humans to start to explain the finer points of Sangheili customs.


	45. Direction

Kathleen stared at the hologram in the center of the room. The more she stared at it the more it annoyed her. This all felt like a stab in the back by the UNSC and she didn't like it. Too many things didn't fit and what Alduin and Iceri had told her hadn't made it any better. She suddenly became aware of the eyes that were studying her. Kathleen turned to the Sangheili. "What?"

"You look frustrated, Love? What is troubling you?" Blade asked, moving a bit around the hologram to stand beside her. "You have not been happy since those humans were sorted at the temple." The word temple was said with an anger and frustration that Kathleen had realized as a manifestation of his sustain for the Forerunners.

"First, stop calling me Love. My warriors were messing with you when they told you to call me that. Second, there's a lot that's annoying me right now, those soldiers only being the start." Kathleen crossed her arms. She wasn't completely convinced that Blade didn't know exactly what he was saying. She could only guess whatever it translated to meant something else's in his language. "So much about this feels wrong and I don't had answers to my questions."

"If you dislike being called Love then I shall continue," the Sangheili chuckled. She should have seen that coming. "Tell me of these concerns. This is the safety of my people that is at stake, not to mention that we are supposed to be partners. A warrior should seek council from those they trust when they have doubts. Do you not trust me?"

"I suppose if I don't talk to you I have no one to talk to, Spork." Blade grumbled at the nickname. Kathleen ignored him and instead focused on the hologram. "The soldiers at the temple is a part of it. The guy you let here was a part of ONI. That means that if ONI sent people down they should have been able to get in without being notices. It doesn't seem so simple that they would send in such an unskilled team, particularly because they aren't stupid and know how it would look for the Arbiter." Kathleen scowled, not sure if her point would get across.

"So you think they were trying to make the Kiadon look bad?" The idea seemed to agitate blade. "I thought humanity was our allies, and you are here. Why would they put you in danger?"

"Not humanity exactly. See the people you're working with are the UNSC, but we have a branch that honestly oversteps its bounds without caring called ONI. To them, if they know we're here, it means nothing to them. My warriors were first test of the augmentations. Our usefulness is done so they don't care if we die," Kathleen explained. "In fact I'm fairly sure that they don't really care about humanity. They're more than willing to have soldiers killed."

"So this ONI," Blade struggled with the letters in the human language. "They sound like the Prophets. Only truly interested in their own gain and willing to damn all others to death if they are of no use." The elite muttered a curse at the thought of the Prophets. "You said these failure soldiers were only a part of your worry."

"Yeah, another part of my worry is that supposed Kig Yar ship that had human weapons. Our systems couldn't pick them up, and even the UNSC's systems couldn't pick anything up. The shots seems to come out of nowhere. The thing is that Kig Yar helping these rebels makes no sense. There's no profit in helping them and no reason for them to waste their good weapons on some ships only to fail and have their own side still lose even one ship. It just seems really unlike everything I've been told about Kig Yar to get involved in Sangheili politics, rather wait for a winner and make trade deals with the one that comes out victorious."

"Maybe they are being promised land, or the treasures that they can sell from the Keep when it is destroyed," Blade guessed.

"But that doesn't make sense either. The rebels were running, the Kig Yar would have realized that they were beaten down and would have realized it was backing the loosing horse." Blade gave her a confused look. "Horses are animals that people ride. It is fairly popular to bet money on people racing them. In this case it would be a three horse race and the Kig Yar would be betting on the one that's lagging behind all the others, clearly going to lose. There's also the fact that they just vanished when it was all over. No systems picked up the ship, the launch of the weapons, or the thing slipping away. How did a lowly Kig Yar get a ship like that?"

Blade considered her words, pacing around the hologram. "I do not know. Some of our ships were stolen or lost, but it seems unlikely that a Kig Yar would be given command of a ship like that or a Sangheili would let such a ship be stolen."

"Exactly my point. Something just doesn't sit right with me about all of this. Something in my gut says someone is playing dirty and I know it's not Lord Hood."

The door to the room opened and the Arbiter stepped in. "Tell me you knew nothing of this," he demanded, motioning toward the hologram.

"I knew nothing about it," Kathleen assured him. She looked to the hologram of _Infinity_. "If I had I would have been damn pissed long before it showed up here and be thinking about changing my species officially." She moved to the hologram and scowled at it. "An endeavor like this must have taken years, certainly not something we could build in a few months. That means that during the war they were diverting resources to this. Putting resources to a giant ship while soldiers were dying." Kathleen let her anger seep into her voice. "And for what? At the rate the war was going they'd finish it just in time for it to save absolutely no one and be the crown jewel of a ruined fleet. The fact that they were putting resources toward this thing rather than protecting people and soldiers pisses me off."

The Arbiter nodded and relaxed. "I believe you, Commander. Your counsel was helpful to me. I simply wondered if you knew of this ship and that was the source of the advice."

"No, I advised you to hold back your ships because of a gut feeling that maybe the humans were up to something. I thought maybe they were looking to have this coup break your people apart, so I figured you shouldn't show your full strength and I wanted to see what they'd do if instead it looked like you'd lose outright, not simply be weakened."

"Now humanity has shown us its strength. That ship has weapons more powerful than ours," Blade spoke up. "You spoke to Love's leader. Has he requested them back?" Kathleen groaned at him calling her Love as though it were an actual name.

The Arbiter stared at him for a moment, confused if Kathleen was reading his expression right. "The Human's leader has not requested the Commander and her troops return, rather agrees that now they are needed more. We have a list of Keeps that alined with the forces that attacked us when they thought I was beaten. We will strike at them now, while we can make an example. Show them that those that backed these cowards will not be tolerated. We will strike at several Keeps that backed these fools and show them that we don't need fancy ships to take down our enemies as the rebels did. We do it the Sangheili way, with blade and strength. Our main target can wait for later as there are those that were more vocal and last less hesitation that we can strike first."

"Up close and personal, killing enemies that hate humanity or are religiously devote. When do we get started?" Kathleen was eager to get back into action. Waiting for this stupid coup to fail had been more boring than a lecture on physics.

"You will start immediately. Shadow Blade, you will command a small selection of your soldiers who will join you in this task. I want the rest here in case they are needed. The Keeps safety is still the most important thing and if any other enemies think of striking I want forces here to knock them down," The Arbiter ordered.

"Of course, Kiadon." Blade bowed his head as he spoke. "I will take a small group and the swords. They are better as offensive units than defense." Kathleen wasn't sure if that was true or not or if Blade was just looking for a reason to take them out into the field. Kathleen didn't care, she was interested in seeing how well a female Sangheili could fight.

"Then take them. I am already under pressure from my warriors for allowing them at all. If you can give me anything to show I was not wrong it will benefit their continued existence." The Arbiter looked to Kathleen and then to Blade. "I will direct you when we have your first target. For now that will be all."

Blade bowed and moved out of the room. Kathleen followed him, knowing that he knew better what was proper etiquette. Once they were a bit down the hallway Blade looked around to be sure that there was no one around. "Love, I have a favor to ask of you. Well not exactly a favor as it does benefit you as well."

"Don't beat around the bush, Spork, just spit it out." Kathleen moved a bit faster so she was walking beside him. His legs were long but he slowed his pace enough to match her slightly faster than normal steps.

"The Swords have never been in combat," Blade began. "Females in my species are ridiculed, discriminated, or worse, if they are know to be warriors or seek to be warriors. This is a big moment. If the Swords can fight with honor and skill they may stand a chance of being the first recognized proper team of female warriors."

"But if they don't then it will look bad," Kathleen guessed. "Exactly how bad will it look if they don't do we'll?"

"Very bad for the females, worse for the Kiadon. It will be another example for those who oppose females being warriors will use to stand in their way. For the Kiadon it will look like a failure of judgment. At a time when our people are doubting him for making a pact with humanity they would see any mistake as a sign of weakness. Allowing the humans to defeat the coup can be turned to our advantage, and the Kiadon will make people see it his way. The same will not be possible if the Swords fail." Blade shook his head and clicked his mandibles in annoyance. "I might be able to convince them that it was not his choice and that it was my fault but putting me in charge of the Shadows was also the Kiadon's doing. I will be much harder to find a way to bend it that will please our people."

"So what am I supposed to do about it? I can't cover for them if they aren't skilled. If that was found out it would look even worse than if they just couldn't fight." Kathleen set her hands on her hips. "What exactly can I do?"

"You can lead them, show them the way. You are female and if you can help them, guide them, then they may stand a better chance," Blade reasoned. "I need you to set an example for them."

"I don't really know how to do that. I know how to train soldiers to be what I want but I don't know how to set an example." Kathleen wasn't sure exactly what he expected from her. She wasn't a role model.

"You need to simply be you, but be sure that they see it, hear it, watch you fight with honor. You saw them when they found out you were really female. They were excited, asked questions, looked to you for information and guidance."

"Not a problem. They're at a disadvantage because of your culture. Suppose since you can't properly inspire them I'll have to." Blade sighed and Kathleen just smirked. "I have a question that's sort of bothering me,"

"If I can I will give you a suitable answer." Blade turned around a corner and Kathleen moved with him.

"Your people fought mine for decades and every time they were forward. When they made an attack they wouldn't hide their presence, wouldn't slink in the shadows. That doesn't seem to be how this coup happened. A few ships that were hidden away, soldiers that were hiding in the shadows of the forest, and went scattering like rats as soon as there was an actual counter attack." Kathleen stopped as she waited for them to pass a female elite in casual clothing that walked past them. Once the other elite was gone Kathleen continued. "It just seems like that's not the Sangheili that nearly wiped out my species. I always thought you were more valiant than that."

"I cannot say that I approve of their tactics. This was no war between Keeps, this was a group that disagree with the Kiadon's choice. In our culture you have a right to try to assassinate him but this." Blade let out a low, angry growl. "This was not honorable. The attacked the Keep because they had political views that did not match. There is nothing honorable about hiding in a group when you fight as such. If you do not agree you should stand up and voice you opposition, not disappear into a crowd. We will not be using such cowardly tactics. We will be fighting weapon to weapon, warrior against warrior, to punish these Keeps. We won't be simply bombarding it with plasma from ships."

"Glad you don't approve either. Then I'm guessing it's safe to assume that we won't be using any stealth tactics to destroy our targets. How then do you plan on punishing these Keeps?" Kathleen asked.

"We disgrace the as is the only proper way to punish them," Blade answered. "We kill skilled warriors, show weakness in those that guard their Kiadons or their leaders themselves. We steal whatever we may want from them. Anything to show that they are not truly strong and that the Arbiter is." It seemed like a fairly straight forward sort views that Kathleen liked. But that left so many possibilities open.

"Do we know where or how many ships the targets may have?" Kathleen asked. She'd like to take them in one piece but if it was them or the ship she'd chose to destroy the ship. "Do we have explosives to take out the ships or should I be downloading maps of Covenant ships? Do we have proper intel on the sort of forces that our targets may have?"

"Let me worry about that," Blade answered. "You worry about your soldiers offending my soldiers and the Swords succeeding." They entered the barrack hall and the Sangheili all turned to look toward them. The ODSS were already preparing their armor and weapons. "I will prepare my troops."

Kathleen watched him move off and decided what she should do with her time. She moved through the barracks to where she knew the Swords had been placed. Kathleen had argued that the female warriors should be out with all the others but Blade had not budged. He'd apparently grown tired of the male sangheili that opposed the Sword's existence trying to pick fights. She hadn't fought him on the issue. These were his soldiers and he had a right to decide where they bunked. Though she had thought of picking a fight over it simply because she'd been so bored that she'd been looking for anything to do. She'd actually sparred with Blade a few times during the coup attempt in order to deal with her frustrations.

She opened the door and the Swords all turned toward her. They watched her as she moved into the room, following her movement carefully. "All right, soldiers, gather round." The Swords stood and moved to circle around her. "We'll be deploying soon, and you'll be going with us." The Sangheili perked up a bit. "This is going to be a really important mission. This will be your chance to show all of your people that females can be warriors, and damn good warriors. I know none of you have had any live combat but that doesn't matter. Every warrior has their first battle. I've seen you spar with the others and you are skilled. I've seen your skill with blades and I'm sure you'll do well." The female Sangheili all were completely focused on her, absorbed in her words. "Even I had a first real combat, and you aren't alone. The Shadows will be there and we'll get the job done. Just remember to follow orders, trust your skills, and try not to be too confident," Kathleen advised.

The females were all silent for a few seconds before the Sangheili that Kathleen had started to recognize as their voice, Shadow Dawn, spoke up. "We will honor Vadam and its choice to take a chance on us. We will fight with honor alongside our teammates and shall see the job done. We will kill all that get in our way."

Kathleen nodded and crossed her arms. "Good to hear. Now get ready. We're heading out soon." Kathleen turned and moved out of the room to prepare her own gear.


	46. Strike

Kathleen had never really liked Phantoms or riding in them. There were no seats so all the troops inside had to stand which made Kathleen feel like they'd all bump into each other with each movement of the dropship. It also meant that she could feel every movement of the craft as it turned or changed altitude. It just reminded her that she wasn't on the ground but rather speeding over it with no control. It was sort of a problem with all Covenant vehicles. They didn't touch the ground and she found it made them hard to use. Kathleen preferred being on foot anyway and she'd rather leave the vehicles for Luke.

For the last month they'd been running ops against opposing Keeps giving Kathleen a new appreciation for the Sangheili homeworld, and for their people. Their assaults were always minor, just to show that their enemies were not as strong as they wanted to seem, and she liked it. It kicked them in the teeth and got them in line or to back down enough that the Arbiter was gaining some ground as a leading force. Now they had settled things enough that finally they could set their eyes on the target they'd originally been assigned.

"We are nearing the farm," Blade informed her. The farm was their first target and their plan to kick off their assault on the Keep. There would mainly be Unggoy at the farm but if they could cut off part of the food supply they could weaken their enemy and it would allow them to pick them apart. "Any last second insults to the plan? Any last minute threats about killing me as soon as we're finished? Want to call me some other odd human device that I know nothing of?" he asked.

"No, it is mostly my plan after all," Kathleen answered. She looked back at the collection of soldiers. There were eleven ODSS and eleven Shadows, six of them Swords. She turned back to Blade. "Is there any tradition we should be taking part in? Some Sangheili combat ritual?"

"Only the pre-battle speech." Blade answered as he turned away from her and toward their troops. He stood up tall, looking as commanding as he could. Kathleen had to admit that there was something about a Sangheili standing at full height that made them look like leaders. If Kathleen didn't know Blade well enough, or wasn't already a veteran at killing Sangheili, she might have found him intimidating. "Today we set out on a long fight, and an important one. Soon we will reach the first target and will begin our fight against Sdoul Keep. The Shadow Swords will infiltrate the building and leave none alive. We will take whatever supplies we can and burn what is left. From there we will make our way toward the main Keep." Kathleen knew that wasn't exactly true. They didn't really have a plan for after they'd cleared the first target. "Our goal is to kill the Kiadon and all that get in our way. If it comes to it then we will kill every last member of the Keep." Kathleen looked over the warriors, every one of them intently listening. The ODSS stood still, looking straight ahead. Battle speeches weren't really a human thing, or at least not an ODSS thing, but they kept their silence and avoided making jokes about anything. She was sure they were listening but they knew most of this already. "This is the task that Vadam has given us. Each of us has been turned away by our Keep because we agree with our new Kiadon. Vadam seeks to lift our people again to the ways of honor and warriors, not the cowardly and shameful tactics his opposition has shown. This Keep has allied themselves with these cowards and we shall show them how true warriors fight. We will proudly claim who we are. They will be an example for all who doubt the strength of Vadam that such cowardice shall not be accepted, is not honorable, and has no place in among our people." There was a noticeable slow in the Phantom's speed. "We near our target, prepare yourselves." His last words were directed to the Swords.

Blade moved back to her side and Kathleen glanced back to the soldiers. "Oddly that wasn't what I expected. I don't know what I was expecting just…not that. Maybe more elegant words, not so blunt."

"We used to recite the rite of union or some holy words but neither the Covenant or the false gods have a place here," Blade explained. "Are the Swords ready for this?"

"Are you doubting me? I told you they can handle this. Don't chicken out on me now, Stapler." Kathleen smiled at the confused look on the Sangheili's face. "I love using words you don't understand. They're ready," she assured him. Blade grumbled but said nothing more.

The Phantom came to a full stop and Blade motioned to the Swords. The sides of the Phantom opened and the female Sangheili jumped out of the ship and vanished out of sight. Kathleen looked out to the bright day sun and wished they'd made the attack at night. She understood the reason they were doing this in the day, wanting to be clear this was a fair honorable fight, but she'd rather the Swords had the element of stealth and surprise on their side. She felt the rising itch, the need to get into combat and spill blood. The mission was starting but she had to sit this one out. Kathleen didn't like staying in the Phantom, wanting to be down in the fight with the Swords, but she knew better. The Swords needed to prove themselves and this was their chance. For now all she could do was wait for them to report.

It was ten minutes before the Swords reported. Kathleen recognized the voice of the chosen leader of the group, Dawn. "Building cleared, all targets eliminated." Kathleen let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "There were six workers and we have a dozen Unggoy bringing us supplies."

The Phantom moved closer to the structure and came to a stop. The ODSS and the remaining Shadows exited the Phantom and moved to the structure. Outside the main door lay a single dead Sangheili. From the look of it the Swords had cut him down without even stopping. Maybe they had had the element of surprise. Six females in full armor with swords might be quite a surprise. Kathleen moved into the building where she found two more dead. From their positions they must have been sitting and talking when the female Sangheili had come in. They'd had enough time to stand up before energy blades had cut through them. The remaining three bodies were in a large room where food was stored on shelves and in crates. They all lay on the ground in pools of purple blood, obvious blade wounds.

Dawn moved to join Blade and Kathleen. "Shadow Sight has found something." They followed the Sword leader as she led them through a small door to the side of the main room. Kathleen was surprised by what they found in the room. There were crates and Kathleen could see Patrick and Shadow Fang inspecting the plasma rifles inside. There were at least half a dozen crates in the room but what really caught Kathleen's attention were the three Wraiths in the center of the room. They were scratched up and looked old but seemed to be in working order. They were all slightly burned by plasma and there were obvious shoddy repairs.

"I may be wrong but this doesn't look like farming equipment." Kathleen moved to one of the Wraiths and touched the cold metal. She couldn't feel the metal through her armor but she still felt a chill and goose bumps on her arm. Vadam didn't have stores of Wraiths like this. How many more hidden caches of weapons and vehicles did this Keep have?

"It seems the Kiadon was using his farm to hide weapons and vehicles. Possibly to prepare for an impending invasion." Blade scratched his scar as he thought. He eyed the Wraiths with a look that was either disgust or agitation. At the moment Kathleen couldn't be sure.

"It is suspected that the cowards hid their ships in more rural Keeps to keep them from being found. It is possible that this is similar. Their Kiadon hid his artillery as out of the way as he could," Dawn suggested.

Kathleen looked to Blade, knowing she didn't know enough to be able to render a verdict. The male Sangheili stared at the Wraiths and nodded. "That is a likely conclusion. I am not sure how many more of the farms have such weapons." Blade moved over to one of the Wraiths. "This one seems usable. The Phantom will take it back to our Keep as a sign of our victory."

"And the Unggoy," Dawn added. Blade looked to her, a slight look of annoyance. He seemed to greatly disapprove of her speaking up. "The Unggoy have only the desire to live, and they know how to farm. They would be an asset to Vadam, and could be a gift to the Kiadon to signify the successful first deployment of the Swords. Put his mind at ease."

Blade huffed and turned away, accepting that her words were logical. "Very well," he agreed. Kathleen was amused by his annoyance. "Fire, take this Wraith out to the Phantom. Shot, Fist, gather the Unggoy and take them out to the Phantom as well." The Sangehili moved away to do as they were ordered.

Kathleen turned to her own soldiers. "Search these weapons and find us something useful." Kathleen waited until her soldiers had gone to work before turning to Blade. "So where do you want to go from here?"

"I don't know," Blade admitted. "You have more practice in fighting my people, what would you do?" It was an honest question which Kathleen didn't know how exactly to take.

She decided that he wasn't trying to make any sort of comment about how many of his fellow Sangheili she'd kill and was just admitting that she knew more of how to fight his people. She considered the actual question for a moment, running through what she knew of the Sangheili to try to come up with any advice she could give. "I need a map," she finally said. "Blade studied her, trying to figure out what she was thinking. He finally turned and motioned for her to follow. Blade led her to a small room with a single table in the center. Blade tapped a control and the table lit up.

Blade tapped at the controls for several seconds before the deep, rough voice of Alduin broke the silence in Kathleen's helmet. "I don't think he can find it." Kathleen tensed and relaxed, having forgotten about the AI in her suit. Maria had never been big on talking but Alduin and Iceri were even quieter as they spent most of their time talking to each other, ignoring her unless necessary. "Put us in there and we'll get you what you need."

Blade grumbled and Kathleen decided that she was as tired of waiting as the AI. She crossed the room and shoved Blade to the side with a rough push of her shoulder. She pulled out the chip from the back of her helmet and inserted it into the table's controls. Blade growled as the map appeared on the table. "Was that so hard?"

"I would kill you, Demon, if it weren't for the fact that this campaign would be boring with no one to show up." The Sangheili grunted out, apparently offended by having been shown up at using a Sangheili device. Kathleen narrowed her gaze, feeling that it was more. Maybe he'd felt the same desire to be in the fight but it didn't work out of his system as easily as it had hers. She scowled, watching the way his mandibles twitched in annoyance. No, something else was annoying him that wasn't so easy to figure out. "So you have a map…" Blade trailed off and Kathleen could feel his eyes on her, watching her as she formed a plan.

"Alduin, highlight and identify locations. This piece of crap doesn't have a ledger," Kathleen instructed.

Iceri's avatar appeared beside the edge of the map. "The blue locations are farms." Four locations lit up blue. "The purple locations are residential settlements, the yellow Forerunner structures, and the red is the main Keep," the AI explained.

Kathleen studies the map, considering her options for attack. "You once lived in this Keep." Kathleen's gaze turned to Blade. "Tell me about the Kiadon. What sort of a fighter is he?" Blade narrowed his eyes, questioning why she was asking. "There are a lot of paths we could follow and knowing how the Kiadon will react can help insure that the best path is chosen."

Blade relaxed, accepting her logic. "Short sighted," he answered. "In many ways. He never looks past the current fight or event." Blade snapped his mandibles, indicating his disdain for the Kiadon's view. Kathleen had always known that Blade didn't like the Kiadon of the Keep but there seemed to be a genuine hatred for the leader.

Kathleen smirked, having chosen her course of action. "Here's the plan. First we strike here, then here." She indicated another farm and then a third, each in line. "Then we'll head straight for the main Keep. If you're right about the Kiadon he'll likely assume he knows we'll destroy the last farm, cutting off his food. He'll send troops to defend it, making it easier to invade the Keep and kill him." Kathleen watched Blade as she spoke, focused on his reactions. There wasn't a lot to interpret but he didn't seem to disagree with her.

Blade moved around the table, eyes on the map. "He would be foolish enough to miss such an obvious diversion plan. He'd probably even be pompously congratulating himself for thinking he'd outsmarted us." Blade turned his attention fully to Kathleen. "We will have to strike hard and fast at the farms."

"Obviously, or else he'll catch us at the third farm," Kathleen agreed. "We should move out as soon as possible. Are the supplies ready?" Kathleen pulled the AI from the system and moved out of the room, Blade close behind.

"I will check with my soldiers, and have them prepare the armory for detonation. We cannot carry all the weapons with us and we cannot risk Phantoms to pick it up," Blade reasoned. He and Kathleen stopped a bit away from where the main movement was so they wouldn't be in the way for now.

"Agreed," Kathleen said as she looked over to where three of her soldiers were huddled around a crate of weapons. "I'll see if my soldiers found anything useful before you blow it up. And I'll have them burn the fields. I've got a guy that's good at that." Blade moved away and Kathleen made her way over to her soldiers. "Tell me you have something good."

"I have something concerning," Patrick responded. "We were checking the crates for any traps or alarms and I found this." He handed over a TACPAD and Kathleen examined the readings. Patrick picked up one of the plasma rifles. "These things are tagged. The UNSC used to do it to track trafficked guns but stopped when rebels got wise."

"The Covenant wouldn't be aware of it, though." David was examining the needle rifle. "These don't seem to have come from human rebels. They usually modify them so they can read the ammunition. These things are pure alien."

Kathleen didn't know what to make of it but she didn't like it. With all the mess ups during the coup something was very wrong. She'd have to set aside the uneasy feeling for now and focus on the task at hand. "Did you find anything we can use?"

"Most of us have carbines and these are mainly plasma rifles and repeaters. There were a few needle rifles but not a lot of ammunition for them. There were some swords but we've already passed them out." Patrick put the plasma rifle back. "Though we did get more grenades."

Kathleen nodded, acknowledging the information. "All right, clear out of the building. Find Tym and help him burn the fields." The soldiers saluted loosely and moved away. Kathleen watched them go before she turned her attention to the Swords who were setting grenades in place in one of the Wraiths. One shot and the vehicle would explode, setting off a chain reaction to destroy the weapons. Kathleen moved over to the female Sangheili, catching the attention of Dawn. She motioned to the Sword leader and they moved a bit to the side so they could talk more privately. "So how was it?"

It took Dawn a moment to come up with an understanding for the question. "It went smoothly. Your strategy was flawless, and it was a good first assault to wet our blades. We took them by surprise, killing them before they could react." It was odd to Kathleen how the female Sangheili reported with the practice and ease of a seasoned warrior though this had been her first fight. She wondered how long Dawn had dreamed of one day being able to give an official report after a successful mission.

"I didn't ask how the assault went," Kathleen corrected. "I asked how it was."

Dawn looked to the Swords and Kathleen could tell she was trying to figure out the difference between the two questions. "I'm sorry, ma'am, I don't understand the question," she admitted. Kathleen found herself imagining Blade's confused face when she heard the confusion in Dawn's voice.

"This was your first taste of real combat. How was it?" Kathleen asked, explaining it more plainly. She wasn't sure if the females of the species had the same love for battle as the males or if they were in it more for the honor.

Dawn clenched her hands, not nervously but more from excitement. "Short, too short. When it was happening it felt slow and fast all at once. I moved without thought and before I knew it was all over." There was a disappointed tone to the Sangheili's voice. "My blood heats and quickens when I think of it. I want more. These enemies didn't have the time to even draw a weapon before they were cut down. They were no challenge." Her voice was deep, like a growl, the female Sangheili annoyed at the lack of challenge from her first enemies.

"Well we'll be moving out for the second farm soon. Maybe we'll find you a challenge there. Or at least a target that will shoot back." Kathleen saw the Sangheili's hands clench and she smirked behind her visor. Blood lust and resolve were two of the traits she preferred in a soldier. She had no doubt that the swords had both.

"I look forward to slaying my foes in the name of my Keep and the Shadows." Dawn bowed, made a fist with her right hand, and placed it on her armor above her heart. "Thank you for this chance, Commander."

"You earned your place here," Kathleen retorted. Dawn's gaze rose and Kathleen felt like they were staring directly into each other's eyes. "Just make sure you keep earning it."


	47. Wing it

Kathleen looked down to the farm below. It was surrounded by fields of some kind of vegetable that Blade had told her the name off but she'd quickly forgotten. She was more focused on the odd lizard creature that was wandering the fields. To her it looked like a long legged Komodo dragon that was painted a dark red. She had seen a few creatures on Sangheilos that she had never expected to find. There had been a bird that had frayed feathers but seemed to glide through the air with ease. They saw a creature that was a rather large lizard, a bit larger than an iguana and had many legs like a centipede. Each one just reminded Kathleen of how alien the entire planet was but at times when she looked away from the Shadows she forgot they weren't human.

"If we can lead it away we can kill it away from the farm, where it won't alert anyone," Blade said, watching the creature as it moved from rock to rock, looking for the ideal place to sun.

"What do we lead it away with?" Kathleen asked. She wondered if they could just sneak past it but Blade had made it clear it could smell and sense their heat. "Can we not wait for it to sleep and then kill it quickly?"

"We would alert the entire farm. Then what would we do? We would be swarmed in seconds." Blade narrowed his gaze at the creature as it settled onto a rock to sleep.

"Don't we want to be straight forward about what we're doing? We should charge in there, have it alert them, and have them come to us." Kathleen didn't see it as that much of a problem. She wanted to kill something and the enemy running toward her would satisfy her need to kill.

Blade scratched at his scar as he answered. "We are not hiding but we don't know their strength. We can't of risk being caught outside. This is a larger farm than the last and more former warriors are in this area and might have found work here."

Kathleen considered the problem for a moment. "You remember when we used the holograms to beat the Brutes?" Kathleen refused to call the large aliens anything but Brutes. They didn't deserve their chosen name after they'd betrayal of the Sangheili. Blade nodded his head, indicating he remembered their first fight side-by-side. "How about we catch the fields on fire? Those last ones went up quickly, the thing won't be able to find us in the heat, and we can use the smoke to hide us as we make our assault."

"Accepted, but that will limit the time we have to attack the farm inside. The smoke will draw attention quicker." Blade stood from his spot and moved a bit back. "We will have a few minutes so we can'y waste any time. If we find a store of weapons again I say we steal any vehicles and destroy any weapons we can't use."

Kathleen nodded. "Agreed. Hopefully they won't have a cache but if they do it might help us hit he next farm with greater speed, before the Kiadon thinks ahead." Blade nodded and turned back toward his soldiers to give orders.

Less than ten minutes later, or at least ten human minutes as Kathleen still didn't understand the Sangheili time measurements. Kathleen was crouched down at the edge of the fields, watching as Tym moved out toward the fields. He ran along the edge of the fields, running a bundle of burning grass along the stocks of the plants, setting them ablaze. The fields caught fire quickly and smoke started to rise up into the sky. Kathleen could hear the lizard letting out a high pitched sound, alerting the workers of the danger. It was also the signal for their attack.

They took off into the smoke, keeping to the paths used to get around the fields so they weren't running through the fire directly. The fire had spread quickly and by the time Kathleen came out the other side of the smoke she was only meters away from the farm building. Ahead of her stood five elites, all without armor or weapons. They seemed to be more focused on trying to stop the fire, surprised by the sudden appearance of the soldiers. Kathleen moved for the closest Sangheili, drawing her knife. The Sangheili had just turned toward her when her blade slammed into the base of the enemy's chest. The foe stumbled back and Kathleen slammed her fist into its head. She felt the bone crack but the enemy was still standing. Light flashed beside her and the Sangheili's head fell to the ground, the body falling after it. Kathleen looked over to Blade as he moved past her toward the building. She did a sweep of the area for enemies but all their enemies were corpses on the ground.

Kathleen moved toward the building, Blade slightly ahead of her, and their soldiers trailing them. Blade opened the main doors and Kathleen moved in swiftly, scanning the area, taking in the scene. There were two dozen Sangheili in the room with about thirty Unggoy. Kathleen aimed herself toward the nearest enemy, an Unggoy. She didn't waste any of her ammunition, bringing her fist down like a hammer onto the small alien's head, caving it in. Plasma cut through the air as the soldiers opened fire on the Unggoy. They were cut down easily in the hail of fire. The plasma stopped and Kathleen didn't need to motion, her soldiers knew this sort of routine. The soldiers moved across the room, easily moving around the dead bodies. Kathleen moved in their wake toward one of the elites more to the side. She saw Emily run past one Sangheili and straight for another. The Sangheili she passed turned to follow Emily, only to be slashed across the back by Edward's energy sword. Emily passed the next Sangheili as well and Kathleen used the distraction. Her knife stabbed into the base of the target's skull and she angled it to break through the skull and into the brain.

Kathleen turned around to see another Sangheili reaching toward her. Kathleen pulled the blade free, turning it around, and stabbed it into the new foe's throat. Her foot moved down to the enemy's toes, her hand grabbing one of its mandibles, and pulled the blade down along the Sangheili's throat. Kathleen turned, looking for another foe but she only saw Dawn slicing through a pair of Sangheili. She'd seen the Swords practicing up Dawn seemed even more fluently than in practice. The room fell silent and the floor was coated with a thick mixture of Sangheili and Unggoy blood.

Kathleen slid her knife back into her armor and looked to Blade for direction. The lead Sangheili looked to her, apparently expecting her to take direction. Kathleen decided that she might as well take the lead and looked around at the selection of doors around them. "Green, Red, Swords, Shadows, Blue." As she said each team she pointed toward a door, indicating their target. She didn't wait for any acknowledgment, just moved toward the door she had pointed to, just assumed that her team would follow her. She charged toward the door, stopping at the side and the controls. Emily and Edward took up positions facing the door, crossing lines of fire to cover the most area while Max moved to the side of the door opposite Kathleen.

She hit the controls and the metal door slid open. Emily suddenly turned toward Edward and shoved him to the side. She managed to get him out of the way and start to move away herself when the balls of green plasma hit the ground. The force of the hits sent Emily tumbling over the ground, stopping a few feet away. A Sangheili moved out of the room, turning toward the stunned soldier. Kathleen stepped in the way, raising her rifle. She knew she was outmatched but she could buy Emily the time to recover, hopefully before being burned to death by a fuel rod. She didn't need to worry about it as before the Sangheili could fire Edward charged. He pulled out his knife and it cut the Alien's side, distracting it. He spun the blade in his hand with skill, stabbing it through the hand on the fuel rod's trigger. The Sangheili howled in pain and let its weapon fall to the ground. The marine then grabbed the foe's shoulders and slammed his knee up as he pulled the enemy down. Kathleen heard bone crack at the impact and the Sangheili crumpled to the ground.

There were panicked shouts and Kathleen moved forward. Inside the room there were four Unggoy all running about, terrified. It was sort of pitiful as they had all dropped their fuel rods and were running around like scared mice, trying to find somewhere to hide. Kathleen took aim at one of the Unggoy and shot it in the head. This caused the others to turn and run away from the fallen Unggoy. Max fired a second later and the remaining two Unggoy slammed into each other in their panic to get away from both bodies. Kathleen took aim but a streak of black passed her and Emily was suddenly standing before the Unggoy. She grabbed the aliens' heads and slammed them down toward the ground. She stood back up her hands were coated with blue blood.

"Seemed a bit excessive," Max said as he looked at the corpses. "You all right?"

"They shouldn't have shot at me," Emily retorted. "I'm fine, just lost my footing." Emily looked around the room and then to Max. "Besides, this is excessive."

The Kathleen moved over to one of the walls and looked over the weapons. There were fuel rods, concussion rifles, and beam rifles. There were a lot of them, way more than Kathleen was comfortable with their enemy having. "Max, check these weapons for signal tags." Max moved to the weapons and started to check them over. Kathleen radioed her remaining soldiers. "Red, Green, report."

" _Green leader reporting. We didn't find much. Seems they had a second one of those lizard things. We found where they were keeping them. Lizard's dead_ ," Tym reported.

" _Found something to get us to the next farm_ ," Tobias reported. " _Hopefully I can get Luke and Peter to keep their clothing on. They're talking about christening the Spirit. Remind me again why I'm stuck with them?_ "

Kathleen ignored the question and pressed on. "Greed Team, meet with Red Team and prepare the Spirit to get out of here. We've overstayed our welcome already and I don't want to wait around for the cops. And, have James report to my position." The green light flashed and Kelly turned her channel to that of the Sangheili. "What did you find, Butter Knife?"

The male Sangheili's voice came back immediately. " _We found sleeping quarters. Some apparently came here to try tiger weapons but they were small arms, all dead now. The Swords have not yet reported_."

"We've found a cache of heavy weapons and a Spirit," Kathleen reported to him. "My soldiers are preparing our getaway ride and another is on his way to blow the major weapons," Kathleen informed him.

" _Very well, my team will find the Swords and see what has happened."_ Blade cut their channel and Kathleen turned to the doorway as James arrived. He was easy to identify, having decorated his armor with forest green lines on the metal parts to resemble wires running from one explosive device to another.

"Please tell me I get to keep a fuel rod." James looked around at the weapons. "Peter will be pissed if he doesn't get a beam rifle." James looked over the weapons on the ground and started to collect them together. "I am assuming you want me to rig this place to blow."

"Yeah, I want a nice firework display for our hosts when we leave." Kathleen moved over to Max who was checking one of the beam rifles. "What do you got?"

"None of them are tagged, ma'am," Max reported. "Not a single one of these weapons is tagged. Though there aren't as high of quantity here as there were in the last farm and these aren't in crates."

Kathleen nodded, acknowledging the information. She watched James work but wasn't really paying attention to what he was doing. Her mind was trying to piece together what had was happening and what these tagged weapons meant. It seemed that they were only small weapons that were tagged while these larger weapons were clean. It was a purely human tactic but it seemed odd to only track the smaller weapons. Perhaps only the smaller weapons had been supplied, but the question still remained of who. She wondered if it was only this Keep but she doubted that. From what Blade had told her the Kiadon hated humans so he likely wouldn't have taken weapons from humans. It was possible that there was a third party in between but Kathleen had no hint of who. Maybe she could be some more answers out of Blade.

"Lieutenant, there are five Phantoms on their way," Iceri announced. "I've got chatter of five armed Phantoms."

Kathleen cursed. "James, hurry it up." Kathleen motioned to the others and moved out of the room to the main area. "Blade, we've got to get going. We've got hostiles inbound, at least five Phantom full." She hesitated for a moment and looked down at the bodies on the floor. "Grab a corpse," she directed. The others didn't hesitate or question. Take them to the Spirit." They moved away and Kathleen picked up a pair of Sangheili bodies.

"What are you doing," Blade asked, moving toward her. The Swords were walking behind him and she noticed the orange blood dotting their armor.

"It's a backup plan. Well, it's my plan if the Phantoms chase us. Now pick up a body." Kathleen moved toward the Spirit as Emily and Edward moved back for more bodies. The Sangheili grabbed bodies and followed her. They piled the corpses in a quickly as they could, placing them in both arms of the drop ship.

James and Matthew jogged toward the Spirit, loaded with weapons for the soldiers. "Place is set to blow," James reported. Matthew passed up the weapons and moved to the main doorway, accessing the controls. The door started to slide open and he moved back toward the drop ship. James pulled him up inside and the side hatches closed. Kathleen had to steady herself by grabbing onto Blade's shoulder as Luke caused the Spirit to shoot forward. A couple of the Shadows fell over and a few Swords used each other to stay up so Kathleen didn't feel as bad about using her friend to stay standing.

Kathleen moved toward the pilot's area, passing Peter who was clutching his beam rifle tightly and watching his partner fly. "Luke, are we being followed?"

The pilot didn't look away from his controls. "They're on my tail. I think I can shake them." His voice was tight and she could almost see the concentration on his face. Oddly the wings that decorated his armor seemed silly for such a serious situation.

"Don't shake them, just get a bit ahead of them, I have a plan." Kathleen gave him quick instructions on what to do before she left him to the task. She moved back out to join Blade.

"What exactly is your plan?" the Sangheili asked. "I do hope that there is good reason for having taken all these bodies with us."

"How do you feel about falling at high rates of speed?" Kathleen asked.

The Spirit sped over the land, heading toward the third farm in their plan. It ducked down low near the forest, brushing the tips of the trees. The five Phantoms trailed behind them, trying to follow the single darting ship. The third farm came into view the Spirit dipped down low enough it was breaking the tops of the trees. It remained low until it reached the edge of the farm at which point it sped up. He Spirit slammed into the side of the building and erupted into a ball of fire. The metal twisted and melted as the fires spread into the fields. The stone of the building cracked and chunks fell to the ground.

Kathleen slammed into the ground, leaving a mark from the impact of her weight. She lay on the ground, regaining her senses. The shadows of the Phantoms sped overhead and Kathleen forced herself to her feet. She looked around. Seeing a few Sangheili nearby and she recognized them as Shadow Fire and Fist then spotted Luke nearby. She pulled her soldier to his feet and brought up the stats on her HUD. All her soldiers were alive and breathing according to the bio signs. She'd have to assume that they were all going to make it to the rendezvous point for now. They'd timed the jump to match topographical scans which had indicated clearings that would provide better landings for the Sangheili.

"The Phantoms have followed the Spirit," Iceri announced. "I have to admit, Alduin did pick the perfect place for impact." Kathleen felt an uncomfortable feeling at the base of the neck, which she'd identified as the two AI talking which she'd learned to ignore.

The nav marker appeared on her HUD and Kathleen followed it. She moved fast and stayed low down in case the Phantoms got wise. When she reached the nav marker the soldiers were mostly gathered. She moved over to Blade and tilted her head to the side. "Wow, what happened to your face?" Blade looked surprised and his hand touched his face, looking for injury. "Oh, that's right, I happened to your face." She smirked behind her visor.

Blade took a deep breath and calmed himself. "Please tell me there is a good reason for us throwing ourselves from a speeding dropship. What exactly is your plan?"

"More misdirection. We had Phantoms on our heels so there was no way we were going to get to the last farm and get out alive. Now it looks like in our attempt to get away we screwed up and hit the building. All they'll find is burned Sangheili bodies, unable to be recognized. It should give us enough time before they realize there are no bodies at the second farm that we can get to the main Keep. At the worst we get to the Keep before they know we're still alive, and at the best they find out we're alive and think we've snuck off to attack the last farm while he chases his tail." Blade shot her a confused look. "It's not literal. It means while he's being tricked."

Blade nodded that he understood the phrase. "It feels underhanded. I don't want to use dirty tricks to achieve our victory."

"It's not a dirty trick. Just as with the original plan it's not like we're doing anything wrong if he assumes we're heading for the fourth farm and it's not anything that's our fault if he's assuming those are our bodies. He's just a crappy leader." The last if the soldiers arrived, all unharmed as far as she could tell but she was sure that any injuries wouldn't be obvious or would be purposefully hidden. "Let's move. We're wasting time."


	48. Rest

The ODSS and Shadows had made it most of the way to the main Keep but there had been more damage from the fall than Kathleen had expected. Most had bruises or aches that made the walking and jogging slow and painful. She and Blade had had a short conversation to decide what to do. In the end they had come to the decision that they needed to stop for a break. The day was ending so they chose a space in a small cave to rest for the night. They'd decided that it was best to risk the Kiadon finding out their true plan and just hope the leader sent his forces to the fourth farm.

Tym had lit a small fire about half way into the cave and most of the soldiers were huddled around the flames. Kathleen watched the assorted humans and Sangheili sit together, realizing how odd it looked. It wasn't even a year ago that they would have been trying to rip open each other's throats. Here they were sitting together, teammates. It struck her as odd really as she'd never really tried to train them in forgiveness, rather anger and violence. She looked over to Blade, who was standing beside her. Maybe he had caused them to be accepting. Well, not directly but he'd caused her to accept Sangheili as allies and her soldier seemed to mold to whatever she did or believed. She had started to treat Blade as a friend and her soldiers had mirrored, accepting the Shadows as friends.

"So, is this thing something I can eat?" Patrick asked, holding up what seemed to be a pastry. Kathleen wasn't absolutely sure if they really were but Blade had assured her all the food was edible.

"Of course you can eat it," Fang answered. "It's food. Eating is what you do with it." Fang bit into his own pastry. Kathleen looked away, finding the way Sangheili ate to be hard to watch. "All right, give me a damage report," she ordered the AI residing in her armor.

"Five damaged shield generators, most soldiers report some pain that is either a fracture or sprain. There may be more injuries but they are not reporting them. I do not have the proper equipment to tell in their armor if they are injured," Iceri reported. "They don't seem to have any head injuries as none are exhibiting symptoms that would hint to such injuries. Hopefully those augmentations have done some good."

"It better have done some good or else what's the point of them giving up their being natural if they aren't less injured when falling from a dropship," Kathleen said dryly. "What about our weapons?"

"A couple pistols and rifles lost but we managed to keep most of our spoils from the farm. Alduin and I have been discussing the situation with the weapons," Iceri informed her.

"We're well armed. Out firepower should be more than sufficient to take the Keep. Hell they can throw Tanks at us. We've got fuel rods now." Kathleen wished she'd grabbed a fuel rod for herself but she still had an energy sword and carbine. She also kept one plasma rifle that was tagged. She may need it as evidence to make a proper report about what she found.

"It is not our weapon strength that we have been discussing," Iceri corrected.

"We have been talking about the tagged weapons," Alduin interjected. "It is an interesting puzzle. Small marked arms but heavy weapons that aren't. It seems odd and thing to do. If you're going to mark weapons why not mark the most dangerous of the weapons."

"Small arms might spread further and give whoever marked them a better view of the flow of weapons," Kathleen theorized. "Seems unlikely, though. You would still mark a couple of the larger weapons." Her hand went down to the plasma rifle on her hip. "Or they came from completely different sources."

"That leaves the question of if they had purchased these weapons or had them given to them," Iceri said. "If we consider the heavy weapons are from a different source, perhaps taken from ships in the wake of the Covenant's fall. Why would they care about the flow of weapons?"

"Care? How would they even find out? Unless they were going to use them to find out when they're killing customers why mark weapons? It's a pointless endeavor," Alduin reasoned.

"Maybe they were looking to be sure they weren't selling them back to rebels at a higher price," Kathleen suggested. She considered some of the other things that had not sat well with her. "If they were sold to Kig Yar and then the Kig Yar turned around and sold them to this Keep might be possible but I don't know why a Kig Yar would get involved." Dealing with Sangheili just seemed to be the least profitable option.

"That does not explain why these weapons are not upgraded. If human rebels had had them then they should be adjusted for human use. These are still in original condition," Alduin pointed out.

"So someone who had Covenant weapons, marked them, and then gave them to the Sangheili. Though all of this seems unusual for Kig Yar if they are the in between." Kathleen scowled, thinking of the ship that had attacked the Arbiter's ships.

"It does seem out of character for a Kig Yar," Iceri agreed. "They are a pirate based society and it would be more likely they would sit back and watch the fighting then step in to take the scraps. They do not seem to be a confrontational species."

"It is possible that while with the Covenant they may have grown a more violent section of heir species that might attack but that seems highly unlikely. The Unggoy seemed more likely to cause a problem. I simply cannot see a Kig Yar stepping into a Sangheili civil war." Alduin's voice gave away frustration with the subject.

"Then if these weapons didn't come from Kig Yar where did they come from. I don't think the Prophets would get involved, or the Brutes. Unggoy wouldn't get involved either," Iceri stated.

"ONI," Kathleen proposed. "Small weapons given to rebels, tagged, and that ship shows up just in time to save the day. Not to mention the sloppy ground team and the scientist basically running away from his escort, and taking shelter in a place with the enemy." The more she thought about it the more she was sure there was something happening.

"That is a high possibility. Arming the enemy to attack a friend seems like something ONI would do," Alduin admitted.

"I find it hard to believe ONI would hand over heavy weapons," Iceri spoke up. "It seems like too big of a risk. Though only arming them with small arms is possible if they were supporting the rebellion but didn't want them to succeed."

"That is possible," Kathleen admitted. "An attempted coup that would fail but weaken your allies as well. That's why the ship arrived. I'd bet you it was ONI's idea that the ship come and help the Arbiter." Kathleen looked over to Blade who was staring out at the area around the mouth of the cave. She wondered if he would suspect such a thing or if she should tell him. She decided against it, not sure what effect it would have on the human-Sangheili relationship.

Kathleen furrowed her brow, noting that Blade was tensed, like a cat preparing to pounce on an unsuspecting mouse. He seemed on edge, like sitting still was painful. "You seem high strung," Kathleen commented. Blade's gaze turned toward her and for the first time in a long while his stare seemed hostile. "Wow, who shoved a stick up your ass?"

Blade narrowed his gaze at her. "Those words make no sense." The Sangheili turned away from her. Kathleen was surprised by the aggression in the words. He was usually annoyed but never angry.

Kathleen kicked out and her foot hit him lightly. "What's wrong with you, corkscrew? What aren't you telling me?" Blade grumbled and Kathleen crossed her arms before she kicked him again.

Blade deflected the third kick. "Fine," he snapped. "You know this was my old Keep?" Kathleen nodded. "I may have been born here, sired children here, but I have never agreed with this Keep's leaders. I mean it when I say those like the Kiadon of this Keep would keep us rooted in old ways, watch us crumble because we don't move forward." Blade glanced over to where the Swords sat alone. "This assault it a litter illustration of the steps forward beating down the old mistakes of the past." Blade slouched and his mandibles twitched in annoyance. "Besides, they have taken something very important from me."

"Are they the ones that stripped you of your honor?" Kathleen asked. Blade turned to her and his gaze narrowed. "I'm not stupid. Like any member of the Shadows isn't considered shamed, banished."

"No, I gave up my honor for a greater purpose," Blade answered. He turned away from her, as though suddenly the leaves of the trees were so interesting. Kathleen didn't know what he was trying to keep from her but if it had to do with his honor she'd leave it be. She understood that when it came to honor Sangheili were touchy.

"So what did they take from you?" Kathleen watched the Sangheili for any indication of what he was thinking. Blade made no sign of answering so Kathleen shrugged. "Fine, don't tell me anything."

"It is not as though you have been an open book," Blade snapped. "Why should I open up to you?"

Kathleen glared at him and her fist struck out, slamming into his shoulder. "Screw you, Melon Baller. I told you all about Fred, how is that not opening up? You won't tell me anything but I told you the most personal thing in my life but you won't tell me anything personal."

"I won't tell you anything? You've been just as distracted, and carrying around that plasma rifle." Blade pointed to the weapon on her hip. "I know you have no intention of using so why carry it?"

Kathleen kicked out and her foot hit Blade's side. "That's not at all the same. I don't have any proof about that, just theories, and it doesn't concern you. Your problem does. I need to know that you aren't compromised emotionally about our target. The closer we get the angrier you get."

Blade took a more aggressive posture. "Whatever you have a theory on is on my planet. How is that not my business?" He shifted and stood. Kathleen stood as well, realizing that he was challenging her. "I am angry but that has no bearing on our mission." The Sangheili took a step toward Kathleen.

"It is a human matter, and I'll handle it. Your anger is the only issue right now. If you're too eager to kill the Kiadon you might lead us into a trap or fall into one. I can't guarantee that you won't make a misstep and get someone on my team hurt or if you die that the Shadows will follow me."

"Why would they not? You are a Commander, and I am still thinking clearly. Besides, I fight better when I'm angry," Blade snapped.

"You're obviously not thinking clearly," Kathleen shot back. "I'm not a Commander, I'm a First Lieutenant. I'm human, how can you be sure they'll follow a human?" Blade tensed and his mandibles twitched in annoyance. "You forgot I wasn't Sangheili, didn't you? See, this is what I mean. You're so blinded by anger you can't even remember my species."

Kathleen had expected some sort of comment back but she wasn't exactly expecting the Sangheili to lunge. Kathleen braced but the alien's full weight hit her and caused them both to slam onto the ground. Kathleen managed to tuck one of her legs between them and used it to hold his weight back. One of his hands was on her helmet and the other on her shoulder. Kathleen had one hand on his throat, holding back Blade's head to keep him from head butting her. She didn't make any move to attack him, just let him push her head against the ground and grip her shoulder in a death grip. Just as she had been furious during the coup and had sparred against him she would be ventilation for his own anger. She would let him attack her until his anger was gone.

His hand moved from her shoulder and balled into a fist, rising above her. She reacted on instinct, kicking out the foot between them and knocking him off of her. He jerked her head, his grip tight on her helmet but eventually slipping on the round metal. Kathleen rolled to the side and got to her feet. Blade was slower to get to his feet, but still just as angry. He charged again and Kathleen moved back toward the wall of the cave. When Blade slammed into her she was already against the wall, preventing her head from being slammed against the rock. The Sangheili's forearm pressed against Kathleen's throat, a bit more forceful than she liked but not really trying to hurt her. She stared into his eyes, the alien's pupils were dilated and his breathing was heavy. Kathleen patted the upper part of the arm against her throat. "Get it out of your system?"

Blade took a step back and the pressure on Kathleen's neck vanished. "No," he answered. "My anger will not be gone until Naro is dead." Kathleen cocked her head to the side, not recognizing the name. "Naro, the Kiadon. Do you not ever pay attention?"

"Hey, this is the first time I'm hearing his name. I've just been calling him ass hole Kiadon in my head and you only call him the Kiadon. Don't get on my back for not knowing your species politics." Kathleen stood from the wall and crossed her arms. "I like my names for him better anyway."

Blade huffed and turned away, pacing away from her and then back. "Have I really not said his name?" Kathleen shook her head. Blade paced away again. "It is not as though he deserves a name, not even a Shadow name."

"Shadow names are bad?" Kathleen hadn't really thought about it but the Shadows were shamed so it was likely that their names were another mark of dishonor. "Honestly I think being called Shadow Blade makes you cooler than before. In my species you'd have to be a skilled assassin to get a nickname like that and even then you still have to be called by your boring real name."

"Like…" Blade turned back to her and his mandibles twitched slightly and his body tensed. "What is your name?"

Kathleen stared at him, trying to tell if this was a joke or not. "You don't know my name?" Blade took a step back at the easily identified anger in Kathleen's voice. "You've actually forgotten my name?"

"Is it not Demon or Love?" the Sangheili asked. "I could have sworn you were Shadow Demon."

Kathleen glared at him dispute him not being able to see her face. "Yeah, my name is Demon. Glad you remembered, Enre." The Sangheili growled slightly at her. "I don't mind nicknames, Meat Cleaver, but you damn well better remember my name." Blade didn't move, didn't say anything, and made no sign that he was joking or teasing. Kathleen moved toward the Sangheili but he stayed put. Kathleen stopped when she was standing directly in front of him. "What is my name?"

"Ahwu," Blade spat out. Kathleen clenched her fists and she leaned toward him. Blade leaned in as well until their helmets touched. "Her name is Ahwu."

A bit of Kathleen's anger vanished, replaced by confusion. "Who's name is Ahwu?" Blade ignored her, moving back to their lookout spot. Kathleen moved over to stand beside him. "Who is Ahwu?"

"She is the reason why I am mad, why I forget your species, and why I forget your name." The Sangheili didn't look in her direction, just stared out at the forest. Kathleen crossed her arms and waited, knowing he would get around to it eventually. Or she'd have to hit him. Either was acceptable. "Ahwu is why I hate Naro." The Commander finally turned to her. "I know your name, Kathleen, but when we fight I think only of her."

"And Ahwu is..?" Kathleen tilted her head to the side, expecting the Sangheili to fill in the blank for her.

"She was my wife, until Naro had her killed." Blade didn't look away, his gaze locked in her. "When I fight you I see her."

Kathleen stared at the alien and sighed. "Fine," she relented. "I suppose wanting to avenge a dead wife is a good reason to be mad." She moved over and took a seat on one of the rocks at the cave entrance. "And it's creepy," she added. "It's creepy that I remind you of your dead wife."

"Why?" Blade asked as he moved over to sit beside her. "You argue like her, hit like her, hate the Forerunners like her, and don't accept failure like her. How is it odd that you remind me of her?"

"Because she was your wife, someone you loved. It's just…"she didn't know how to explain it in a way that the alien could understand. Blade suddenly looked away, toward the trees around them. Kathleen turned to look but was blind-sided by Blade as he tackled her down to the ground and pinned her to the rock floor. "This, this is what's creepy."

"Shhh," Blade hissed before motioning to the shadows. Like that the light went out in the cave and Kathleen realized what was happening. Blade had seen enemies near, which wasn't good news. It meant the Kiadon might be smarter than Kathleen had anticipated and realized that the crash had all been a ruse. She lay completely still under the weight of the Sangheili, listening to the sounds around them. The other soldiers had all snuck deep into the shadows and fallen silent, waiting and watching.

She heard the wind through the trees, the deep steady breaths of Blade, and the calls of strange animals. It was a few seconds before she finally heard it, feet crushing plant life, and growing slowly closer. Then she heard voices. "I think he's nothing more than a fool," one voice grumbled. They were talking quietly, just barely above a whisper. "They went up in flames, we all saw it."

"Well Purg isn't so sure," a second voice replied, a tint of annoyance to his voice. Kathleen felt Blade's muscles tense but she didn't know why. "He wants us to search, we search. Just be glad you aren't rummaging through that burning metal."

"Purg is just paranoid. He's always been watching over his shoulder. He can't take anything at face value." Kathleen heard the footsteps start to move away. "We don't even know what were looking for. A small team, a squad, or for all we know it's a group of swordmasters. We're risking our lives for nothing."

"If you don't believe they're alive then what is there to worry about," the second Sangheili countered. "Now get moving or ill leave you behind and tell Purg he was right just to spite you." There was more footsteps and slowly the noise faded away.

Kathleen waited until she was sure that the two enemies were gone before she shoved at Blade to get him off her. The Sangheili didn't move, his eyes unfocused and staring blankly at the floor. Kathleen's hand smacked the side of his helmet and Blade came back to his senses. "Get off me, Butter Knife."

Without a word Blade moved and walked deeper into the cave. Kathleen sat up and just watched him move, noting that he was still tense and something seemed to be troubling him. She stood up and motioned to Peter and then the cave opening. Kathleen followed Blade until he finally came to a stop. They just stood in silence and she waited patiently for him to talk to her. It was a full minute before he finally turned to her. "We might have a problem."

"Exactly what kind of problem?" Kathleen asked. "I'm guessing it has to do with that Purg guy that those guys were talking about." Kathleen hadn't liked that way that Blade had reacted to the name and knew it was trouble.

"Purg is not an idiot," Blade explained. "He is a competent strategist and he could cause problems. While Naro might not look to the future Purg is not so blind. He may be at the Keep, waiting for us."

"All right, then tell me what you know about him. Maybe we can get a step ahead of him." Kathleen moved over and leaned against the wall of the cave.

"He is a Ship Master," Blade began. "He thinks ahead and destroyed plenty of human ships during the war. He was the only member of the Keep that I saw as a possible rival when I was looking to one day become Kiadon. He is ambitious, bough I've never known or understood his motives for wanting the position. He was one who spoke out against me when I voiced my belief that we should side with the Arbiter."

"So then he stands to benefit from the Kiadon's death," Kathleen reasoned. Blade tilted his head slightly to the side, considering the idea. "Think about it, he wants to be Kiadon and what better way than to let the current one die and then step in and be the big hero. Get himself make Kiadon. Or does he have more honor than that?"

"I am not sure," Blade admitted. "I am not sure how much he would align with the cowardly tactics that some of our fellow warriors have shown."

"Then our only option is to assume that once we've killed the Kiadon that he'll try something. Whatever he tries, we'll deal with it when we come to that. Until then we need to focus on just getting to the Keep. We can't be found or we won't even get a chance to kill Naro. Even if this Purg guy does attack us and kills us as long as we get the chance to kill the Kiadon then won't have failed the mission. It will still stand as a testament to what happens to the enemies of Vadam."

Blade nodded and moved back toward the rest of the soldiers. "Then for now we should prepare. Purg will have people searching at least until tomorrow. Come, I always enjoy convincing you to eat more Sangheili food." Kelly scowled but reluctantly followed him. The food always looked so gross and alien but when it came down to it most of it was easy enough to stomach. Though he wouldn't find the same satisfaction as she couldn't show the same weakness in front of her soldiers.


	49. Sdoule Keep

The main part of the Keep was not as large as Kathleen had expected. True, Keep Vadam was fairly large by Sangheili standards, but this one was simply tiny by comparison. It looked like just a collection of buildings, without much protection. When she'd checked the map it had appeared as though it was going to be much harder to infiltrate; but it certainly didn't look that way in person. Her biggest concern at the moment however was the growing agitation of her Sangheili counterpart. The closer they got to the Keep, the more annoyed he became. She had hoped he'd be able to keep himself under control, but he seemed to be failing at the task.

Blade was leading the way, taking them around the Keep so they would have the shortest distance to cross in order to get into the main building. Kathleen looked through the trees at the simple homes that made up the settlement. She hoped that they'd be able to kill the Kiadon without having to fight off the entire Keep, as there was a fair number of houses and she didn't know how many Sangheili were in each home. Kathleen could also see that there were a lot of children or young walking about in the open areas. There was no need for them to die, and she certainly saw no honor in killing youngsters.

Blade stopped them at the edge of the forest around the back of the Keep's main buliding. "There is a door into the kitchens," he informed her. He pointed to a doorway that was visible on the side wall of the large structure. It was about twenty meters away, with a few houses in between the forest and the Keep. Still, that was less of a distance between them and any other door she'd seen so far.

Kathleen nodded and turned back to their soldiers. "All right, once we get into the Keep be ready to kill anyone who stands in our way. Except for the young. Knock them out and then leave them be, let them live to remember the strength of Vadam." She hoped that would go over well - it seemed like a proper Sangheili sentiment.

"Don't kill the females either, unless they attack you," Blade added. "Most likely they will step to the side. And we don't need vengeful young looking for the killers of their mothers." Blade grabbed his sword. "Now, let us end the Kiadon's life, for the honor of Vadam." Blade moved, crossing the opening between them and the doorway swiftly. Kathleen was on his heels, carbine at the ready. The rest of the group followed behind just as quickly and quietly.

Blade burst through the door into the kitchen, or at least what Kathleen guessed was a kitchen. There was a group of Unggoy doing various tasks that all stopped and looked toward the door, startled by the noise. Kathleen moved into the room, allowing the others to enter behind her. She fired on the Unggoy before they could react, methodically hitting each one in the head. By the time they were all inside the walls were painted a bright shade of blue. There seemed to be no other activity, no alert sounded, not even any curious listeners. Kathleen felt uneasy about it, finding it very unlikely that no one would have heard them.

Blade moved over to one of the doorways and opened it, abandoning any attempt at stealth - much to Kathleen's annoyance. They moved out into a long plain hallway with a high ceiling, large enough that a pair of ghosts could go down it. She looked both ways but couldn't hear any sounds and there were no hostile markers on her motion detector. "Blades, from this point on," Blade turned toward Kathleen and the others, "the energy sword is a sign of our strength as warriors, and it is the most honorable way to kill an enemy. We will kill them up close, not from a cowardly distance."

Kathleen nodded, deciding not to argue the stupidity of such a choice. After all, she was the alien here; and if this was how wars between Keeps went, then she'd do it their way. She put away her carbine and activated her energy sword. "We should split up. We've got too large of a group for killing just one enemy," Kathleen reasoned. "Tobias, take Red Team and find us a ride out of here. We'll need an escape once this bastard is dead. Green Team, see if you can get us any additional information, find a terminal you can hack into. If we can get more leads as to who the enemies of Vadam are, it would be a plus." Kathleen pulled the data chip from her helmet. "Take Alduin and Iceri. You'll need them to get into the systems." Patrick hesitated for a second before he reached out and took the chip. Kathleen opened a channel just between herself and Patrick. "You know what you're looking for." The tech specialist nodded and tucked the chip away. He knew that they needed answers for the tags on the weapons, and any intel they could get off this Keep would help. And if Naro was as cocky as Blade had said, he might have left some hint as to where the weapons came from.

"We must move. Staying still for too long is a great danger." Blade turned to his own soldiers. "Swords are with me. Claw, take the Shadows and secure the main entrance. Barricade it to slow reinforcements." The Shadows nodded and moved away. "Are you ready?" He asked Kathleen.

Kathleen nodded. "Let's go kill a Kiadon and head home." Kathleen looked down the hallways at the doors. "Which way?"

Blade motioned down the hallway before them. "Any vehicles or terminals would likely be that way." He motioned another way to direct the group in charge of securing their escape. Blade then turned and moved in the first direction he had indicated.

Kathleen adjusted her radio to the ODSS channel only. "Use any weapon you want. We may have to fight with honor, but if you fuel-rod cannon a few Grunts no one is going to care." She cut off the radio and moved to follow Blade as he started toward their destination. Kathleen looked to Blade as she followed him, noting the way he looked around them like a hawk searching for a mouse to snatch up. She was becoming even more concerned about his mental state, but she just kept reminding herself that she trusted him.

She found herself tensing after every time they passed a door, expecting someone to leap out and attack them. This was too easy; they were just walking right in. Kathleen stopped and Blade paused as well a moment later. "What is it?" the Shadow leader asked.

"Where is everyone? There's no one here." Kathleen frowned as she looked at the doors around them.

"Was that not the plan? Most of our opposition should be at the last farm we attacked, trying to protect it," Blade cocked his head to the side. "Do you not think that they fell for it?"

"I'm not talking about fighters. Where are all the common people? There are no local guards, no females or young walking around, or even ducking into doors for cover. Not even any servant Unggoy are here." Kathleen moved to the closest door and looked back to their soldiers. "Start checking the rooms. I'm not going to be caught from behind once we get to this target." Kathleen flexed her empty hand in anticipation of something going wrong.

Blade moved to her side and watched the soldiers as they started to check the rooms. "It is possible that there simply are few here. If forces were moved to the farm, most of the males would have gone; maybe all of them. The females may have been smart enough to know what was likely coming and cleared themselves and their young out of the building, and are staying home or visiting family." The Swords and ODSS searched all the surrounding rooms one by one, but each one was clear. "We are wasting time doing this."

"We are deep in enemy territory, with possibly no way out, and we have to insure we complete the mission. We can't afford to have Naro get the drop on us before we can kill him." Kathleen started to move down the hallway as they cleared the rooms behind them. She moved over to a door and opened it, sword at the ready. The room seemed to be personal quarters that reminded her of the simple rooms in Vadam Keep, but these were even more modest, with just a bed and table. She closed the door, sure the room was clear. "It almost looks like no one lives here."

Blade moved away from a room he had gone to check. "This is odd, I will admit. None of these rooms look like anybody has lived in them for a while." The Commander growled deeply. "I do not like this."

"We need to be prepared for an ambush. We can't back down now; only see this mission through to the end." Kathleen continued down the hallway, stopping at random doors to be sure things were still empty. Each empty room only made her more uneasy about the situation. Blade was now following her closely, watching her back. Kathleen was starting to get irritated by his hovering, but she ignored it as they worked their way through the Keep. The sound of their steps echoing on the stone floor didn't help to calm her feeling of dread.

They finally reached a room that Blade identified as the Kiadon's office. Kathleen couldn't help the apprehension she felt. She moved to one side of the door and Blade took the other. Kathleen checked to be sure their soldiers were ready before she nodded to the Sangheili, signaling him to make his move. Blade hit the controls on the door and Kathleen moved into the room, her eyes automatically focusing on a single figure standing in the center of the space. The Sangheili stood over the dead body another Sangheili, energy blade in hand. There was blood still freshly flowing onto the floor from the corpse. The living alien turned toward them but Kathleen's attention was pulled to the side as she caught sight of a shimmer near her. She activated her VISR system, which revealed over a dozen cloaked forms that had surrounded them. The door to the room shut, blocking off the exit. One of the cloaked Sangheili moved to stand between the door and her soldiers. Edward looked to the figure, staring it directly in the eye. She wondered if they knew the ODSS could see them, of if they just thought he was looking at thin air.

"Purg," Blade growled. He slightly turned toward Kathleen. "I hate you," he grumbled to her.

"I'll do my victory dance later, on this asshole's dead body." Kathleen looked around the room and didn't like the situation. There was so little space, and they were surrounded, but she wasn't about to admit to her enemy that she was at a disadvantage. "You can tell them to drop their cloaks, we can see them."

Purg growled, but made a motion with his hand and sixteen Sangheili became visible. "So this is the trash you've been spending your time with? I should have known the rumors about you were true, particularly with how you argued for us all to side with the Arbiter." The Sangheili snapped his mandibles in annoyance. "But worst of all, you shame your ancestors by aligning yourself with a Demon and allowing females to handle blades."

"You speak of my shame, yet you've killed your own Kiadon in cold blood," Blade countered. "You have no right to speak of shame or honor. You have no right to even touch that blade."

Purg snorted at the words. "Cold blood? I didn't kill him in cold blood. You killed him, and I'm about to kill you to avenge our fallen Kiadon." There was a look of triumph on Purg's face, at least if his emotions were represented the same as Blade's were. Though it was odd for Kathleen to try to figure out what the bottom mandibles were indicating. "And I'll have proof that Vadam has allowed humans to walk freely on our planet, and do the work that Vadam warriors are incapable of doing. All the better for getting all those whose loyalties are still unsure to side with us against the Arbiter."

"You always were bad at understanding tactics," Blade countered. "Always thought having the larger force meant that you were the winner." He looked around at the gathered Sangheili in the room. "If there's one lesson you should have learned from the War, it is that numbers are only numbers. They speak nothing of the strength of a warrior. You never were able to understand that. Just one of my Swords is worth a legion of your rabble."

"Do you think these are the only warriors I have here?" Purg sneered. "Then you know nothing of my skill. I wouldn't do something like this without having a force to take command and back me." Purg stepped forward to stand before Kathleen. "Maybe I'll kill your little human pet first." He raised his blade so it was almost touching her visor.

Kathleen just stared at the blade for a moment. "So that's it?" Purg seemed taken aback by the question. "Your big plan is to kill a weak fool so you can take power? I knew it; you're a Sangheili with no honor, and you're an idiot. Maybe we should just leave you here with your dirt Keep. It's not that much of a threat really. We blazed through those farms with ease, literally. Even now you think these weaklings will be able to stop us, but they aren't half as strong as warriors from Vadam Keep."

Purg grunted. "What would a human know of honor? You're nothing but filthy weaklings who easily fall at the hands of the Sangheili. It is beyond you to understand honor."

"I understand that getting the trust of a leader, and then stabbing them in the back isn't honorable," Kathleen countered. "At least we were going to fight him face-to-face. Hell, if I was going to kill Blade I'd fight him head on, and if he didn't have a weapon I'd either give him one or we'd fight without them. You and your Keep weren't even honorable enough to take a stand when the rebels attacked Vadam. At least Vadam is honorable enough that when we take down a Keep, we do it without hiding."

Purg seemed to take insult at her words. "If I had been Kiadon I would have joined the fight to turn the tide against Vadam. Now I will take _Eternal Light_ , and make a stand against Vadam. They have been weakened by the assault of the others, ready to be finished off by a superior force."

Kathleen smirked behind her visor. "Superior force? You think that one ship makes you a superior force? You have no idea, do you? Vadam has chosen the winning side, or did you not hear about the new bay we put into the rebel ranks? You think your ship won't be destroyed in an instant by humanity the way the others were?"

"You think me a fool?" Purg asked. Kathleen shrugged, but she doubted he would understand she was agreeing. "That human ship is gone. It is too large to hide from our sensors."

"Wow, you really know nothing about humanity's ships. It takes weeks to get from one system to another in one of our vessels. How could we have known exactly when to show up?" Kathleen knew that Purg would assume she meant the large ship could be cloaked from their view, though Kathleen had no idea really. The ship couldn't have been cloaked, but showing up exactly in time only made her more suspicious that someone knew what was going to happen. She didn't let any of those concerns leak into her voice, though she doubted Purg would be able to identify her emotions through her speech anyway, probably not even if he could see her face.

Purg growled and pulled his sword back. "Silence, Demon! There is no human ship. You seek only to distract me. Enough time has been wasted." Purg swung the sword toward her.

Kathleen raised her blade and, thanks to the lessons from Blade and Dawn, easily blocked the blow. Purg dodged back as Blade swung his own energy sword forward. "Marines, cut 'em up!"


	50. Purg

The room seemed to burst into chaos in an instant, the Sangheili around them closing in and the marines and Swords moving to meet them. Kathleen turned to her left as an energy sword swiped at her. She stepped out of reach and readied her own weapon, preparing for the next attack. The hostile Sangheili moved forward, swinging his sword down to try to slice her down the middle. Kathleen turned sideways and the blade cut through thin air. She turned again and slashed at her attacker. The Sangheili tried to move out of the way but she faster, slicing her foe's shoulder. The body of a second Sangheili suddenly slammed into the back of the one Kathleen was facing, knocking him to the ground. The Sangheili tried to get up but Kathleen took the chance to strike down with her blade, lopping his head clean off. Kathleen looked over to see Emily and Edward moving away to a new enemy. They were using a technique that she'd seen them practice while they were stuck in Vadam Keep. Emily had her sword in her right hand while Edward had his in the left, and they were acting as one warrior that was dual-wielding the energy blades.

Kathleen turned her attention to Purg, who was currently crossing swords with Blade; the rest of the warriors in the room giving them a wide berth. It didn't surprise her that her troops were staying away, but it seemed an unusually honorable thing for Purg's soldiers to do. Kathleen moved toward the fight, ducking and dodging the swings of Sangheili as they fought with the Swords and the ODSS. If they had been fighting in an open field the way would have already been clear, with the ODSS and Swords having easily cut down Purg's soldiers. But the furniture in the room and extremely close quarters made it harder to finish them off quickly. Kathleen only gave passing glances toward the other soldiers, staying focused on the rebel's leader. Judging from his movements she could tell Purg was a particularly skilled fighter, keeping up with every one of Blade's attacks and striking back at the best points. He wasn't expecting Kathleen, though, and she used the moment of surprise to slash at his unguarded side. The Swordmaster dodged the strike, but Kathleen's energy blade still sliced into his upper arm. He growled, but seemed to otherwise ignore the injury.

Purg then suddenly turned and charged toward Kathleen and she readied her sword to defend. He was faster than she thought he'd be, as his blade swung at her and she parried each strike. Her enemy was relentless, not leaving a single opening for her to get in a hit. However he was now too focused on Kathleen, something Blade was happy to exploit. Kathleen shifted to the side as the Shadow leader swung and Purg was forced to duck down under the strike. Purg moved toward Blade and Kathleen put her weight on one foot, kicking out toward her enemy's legs. Her foot connected with his forward-bending knee and Purg fell. Unfortunately he didn't stay down for long, rolling right back onto his feet and snarling at the pair.

Blade moved first, maneuvering around toward Purg's side. Without even thinking Kathleen snapped into action, positioning herself on Purg's other side. Blade swung high and Kathleen swung low, trying to catch Purg between their two energy swords. They were not so lucky. Purg leapt to the side, rolling away quickly before he snapped back to his feet again. Kathleen turned to face him, but spotted an oncoming blade in her peripheral vision. Kathleen dodged, but it was too late to avoid the blade completely. The energy sword sliced near Kathleen's left elbow and her arm shot with pain, causing her own blade to fall from her hand. She wheeled on the new foe as he was trying to retract his sword in order to hit her again. She stopped the blade from rising, gripping the Sangheili's wrist tight. She swung her right arm, slamming her fist into the alien's face. The blow sent the enemy staggering, but with a quick tug on the wrist caught in Kathleen's vice-like grip he was back within striking range. She grabbed one of the Sangheili's mandibles and wrenched his head close before slamming her helmet into his head. The alien recoiled and Kathleen released his wrist, letting him stumble back. She spun, kicking her foe's chest as she had learned from Blade and from experiences with other Sangheili during the war. The alien fell back against a table and Kathleen moved to finish him off. She stopped as a body fell to the ground before her, blocking her path. The enemy that she had been focused on righted himself and snarled but was cut short as Dawn moved up behind him, and as smooth as water, her blade cut right through his flesh. Kathleen watched the body fall and turned to the female Sangheili. Her armor was covered in blood and Kathleen could see at least one minor wound, but Dawn seemed to pay no attention to any of it.

Kathleen took a quick look around the room and wasn't surprised to see that there wasn't a single enemy left standing. "Take any weapons you can from them that might help. I also want a group to check the halls for reinforcements." Dawn nodded at her and moved away to do as she was ordered. Kathleen turned back to Blade to see if he had finished off his enemy as well, just in time to see Purg's foot impact with Blade's chest.

Purg pulled back his arm to stab forward and Kathleen charged. She moved up behind Purg and grabbed his arm to stop him. The rebel leader looked back and was rewarded with Kathleen's elbow slamming into the side of his head. He suddenly launched himself toward her, sending them both tumbling. Kathleen came to a stop a quarter of the way across the room. By the time she got to her feet Purg was charging once more. Kathleen stepped back to try to avoid the strike but as the light of the energy sword flashed past her eyes she knew something was wrong. The blade was too close, and although the pain hadn't hit her yet she knew that she'd been sliced. Kathleen braced herself and tried to stay upright, but the moment the pain burst across her torso she fell to one knee. She gripped at the chest plate of her armor and could feel the gap that been cut across it. Her armor itself sounded almost every alarm it had, all screaming in her ears: shields down, armor breached, extreme vital signs, and a dozen others that she didn't understand. Her hand shifted slightly and it moved smoothly over the metal plating, sliding over the blood seeping from the wound.

The world around her slowed to an almost painful crawl. Her gaze went to Blade who was watching the scene. Purg was moving to stand over her and finish the job, but Kathleen ignored him - only watching the Shadow leader. Kathleen saw Blade's features turn from surprise, to a level of anger she'd never seen in him before. His mandibles spread wide and his roar cut through the blaring alarms in her helmet. Blade charged and Purg turned toward him too late. The full weight of the Shadow crashed into the traitorous Sangheili and brought them crashing down to the ground. Purg tried to get up but he was held down by Blade's hands wrapped tightly around his throat. A force pulled on Kathleen and dragged her away from the fight. She didn't want that, she wanted to have her hands join Blade's and put an end to Purg. But with her injury and armor systems in the red she could do nothing to keep her soldier from pulling her away, or stop Max from seeing to her wound. She paid the medic no mind as he started to examine her, still caught up in the two male Sangheili across the room.

Purg thrashed, trying to get free or grab for his blade, which he'd dropped when they'd fallen. She could see the fear in his eyes, and it was clear he knew that no force in the universe would make the grip around his throat loosen. Blade on the other hand, looked to be in a state of fury that Kathleen had never seen any other Sangheili exhibit. His eyes were dilated, his mandibles twitching, and his muscles coiled and tense. She'd seen Sangheili fly into a range when they were out of ammunition and would charge toward her without anything but their hands as weapons, but this seemed completely different.

Purg's movements slowed and finally stopped, limbs falling limp to the ground. Still Blade did not release his hold on the other alien's throat. Kathleen tried to get up, to go to him and make him release the body, but someone was holding her down. She looked to her left where Dawn was standing, holding her still so that Max could work. She couldn't exactly see what he was doing as he leaned in closely, trying to patch up where the blade had cut through her armor. Not that her seeing really mattered - she hardly ever understood what Max did anyway, she wasn't big on first aid. The only thing she knew for sure was that it didn't involve bio-foam. She knew what that felt like, and this wasn't it. However the pain still seemed to be receding somehow. She made a note to be more lenient on Max the next time he screwed up…Just a little lenient.

"How bad is it?" Kathleen asked.

"I can patch you up," Max answered. "It's bleeding, but I can at least fix up your suit so that it should keep the blood inside you. Your bio-foam injectors didn't activate, so there must not be any internal injuries. It's a fairly big cut, but it's not as bad as when Stiff-Upper-Lip over there got you on Reach."

"We cannot stay here much longer. We don't know how many warriors Purg may still have in the Keep. If they do not hear from him they may come to check on what is happening." Dawn lifted her hands from Kathleen's shoulder. "Can you move?"

Dawn was suddenly pushed to the side as Blade joined them. "Of course she can." He held out his hand and Kathleen took it, letting him yank her up. Pain shot through her chest and she felt stiff, but she wasn't about to show any weakness. "The Kiadon is dead, as is Purg. The job is done. Now our only task is to return home."

"Agreed," Kathleen said before activatin her radio. "Red Team, Green Team, report."

" _Red Leader here. We've met heavy resistance in a vehicle bay_ ," Tobias informed her. " _We found a nice Phantom, but there's a collection of split-faces between it and us_."

" _Green Leader, reporting_ ," Tym cut in. " _Patrick is grabbing some files from a terminal. We've got reports, communications, and we found something about a ship called_ Eternal Light."

"As soon as you've got everything from the terminal, head to Red Team's position. Red Team, we're heading to you now. Try not to damage the Phantom. We're going to need it for what I have planned." She turned toward Blade, who was watching her closely. There was something odd in how he was looking at her but she tried to ignore it. "Red's in a vehicle bay trying to get to a Phantom, but there are hostiles between them and the vehicle. We need to assist them."

Blade leaned in a bit closer and spoke quietly. "Can you still fight?"

Kathleen glared through her visor at her partner. "Don't make me tear off another mandible to keep you from ever again questioning if I can fight." Emotions that Kathleen couldn't identify shifted over the Sangheili's features. His mandibles moved slowly, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his head pulled back a bit. Once again it made her uneasy that she couldn't identify what he seemed to be feeling. She wondered if he ever felt that way when she wore her armor. "We should get moving. The longer we wait the more likely it is we'll meet opposition on our way to the Phantom."

Blade relented and simply nodded, moving across the room to pick up Kathleen's fallen sword. He switched it off and handed it back to her. "Then let us not waste any more time, Love." Kathleen took the weapon and followed Blade as he exited the room. Kathleen's chest burned slightly as they set off at a jog, but it wasn't bad enough that she was worried about it hindering her ability to fight. They passed two female Sangheili, who simply slipped into rooms at their approach to get out of the way. Kathleen stayed focused on moving and trying to figure out which way they were going.

The group moved through hallways, past many windows, and made a few turns before Kathleen heard the sound of fighting. She could hear the low growls of Sangheili growing closer and the sounds of plasma fire at random intervals. When they finally reached the hangar it was not as large as Kathleen had expected. It was obviously only big enough to handle the single Phantom that hung in the center. The rest of the place was a mess, the space around the craft littered with crates and equipment. There was a ring of crates that had been moved around the base of the Phantom as a defensive structure. She looked over the area and spotted Tobias, crouched behind another crate. A quick scan around the room and she spotted Patrick, James, Luke, and David as well, all spread out. They were down low against the crates to stay out of the view of their opponents. Kathleen moved over behind the scattered crates to ensure she was out of sight.

"Want to let me in on the plan?" Kathleen asked over the radio. She couldn't see Peter or Tym, and she wondered what idea her soldiers had come up with in her absence.

" _You really just need to be ready to run_ ," Tym replied. Kathleen looked around but couldn't spot the Green Leader. Though knowing him it would involve a lot of things catching on fire.

Kathleen didn't have to wait long for the marines to reach their assigned positions, and the plan to be put into action. Small objects arched through the sky, moving to land behind the boxes that made up their enemy's defensive wall. Before they landed there were four quick shots from a beam rifle and the incendiary grenades burst open, sending fire raining down on the huddled Sangheili. They climbed up over the crates in a panic, trying to escape the flames. Kathleen saw Tobias stand up and start to move forward, so she took that as the cue to go. She moved out of cover and through the crates toward the enemies. In the thrill of the battle the pain from her wound completely disappeared, and she was only focused on the fleeing opponents. One passed her and Kathleen swiped with her blade, cutting him down. She moved past the body and between the stacked crates, weaving her way toward the Phantom.

Kathleen turned a corner in time to see Fang cutting down an enemy and motioning to another Shadow warrior to follow him. Kathleen took off in another direction around the crates to better spread out their web of destruction. She rounded a box and found a pair of hostile Sangheili, no longer panicking as they had escaped the flames. They turned toward her and Kathleen moved forward. The aliens fired with plasma rifles and Kathleen ducked down under the shots. The one out front turned as the second was pulled back and a combat knife was stabbed several times into his chest and neck. The body fell and Edward stood over the dead alien, flipping the blade in his hand. The second growled and Kathleen reached it, swinging her energy blade and cutting through the opponent's chest. Emily, David, and Luke passed behind Edward and he stepped back before turning and following the others. Kathleen moved to trail behind them as they tried to find their way through the maze of crates.

Kathleen stopped, looking toward the Phantom, which didn't seem to be getting any closer. She bent her knees and jumped, grabbing the box and pulling herself up. She could see flashes of green, blue, and pink around the area from enemy fire, but she could also see now that there was no real clear path to the Phantom. She decided to switch-up their strategy.  
"Up and over," she ordered aloud before glancing to her left as Blade climbed up with her. The marines passed by them, jumping over the gaps between the crates. Kathleen followed after them, speeding up enough to catch up with the others. The remaining ODSS and Shadows climbed up to join them as they all charged toward the ship. Kathleen kept up her pace, ignoring the dull ache that creeping back into her chest and focusing on the dying flames on the boxes ahead of her.

They reached the end of the line of crates and were met by a little under two dozen Sangheili who had run from the fire but had not been scared enough to flee completely. Kathleen launched herself at the crowd, hoping to use the element of surprise to her advantage. She landed beside a Sangheili and her sword stabbed through his chest. One on her left moved toward her but Blade stepped between them and dispatched him with ease. On her right Dawn stepped forward, duel wielding energy blades. Her left blade cut through the closest enemy's leg and as he fell her right blade cut up and through his neck, severing the alien's head. Kathleen left the two Shadows to cover her back while she charged at the wall of crates. Her shoulder slammed into a crate and it slid across the ground and opened a gap big enough for people to get through. She saw David and Patrick pass her to clear the area while Luke jumped up onto the crate she was pushing. Kathleen didn't stop until it was near the grav-lift opening on the belly of the craft. He leapt up and grabbed onto the sides of the opening, hauling himself up into the ship. Kathleen stopped pushing and checked to be sure everyone had gathered. The only person she noted as being missing was Peter, but she could still hear the occasional beam rifle shots in the background so she knew he was still alive.

The Phantom came to life and shifted a bit as it rose up slightly and the grav-lift activated. "Into the Phantom," Blade barked. The Sangheili moved to the base of the lift while the ODSS used the crate to jump up and get in faster. Kathleen waited until everyone was onboard before she moved to the base of the lift and let it carry her up into the vehicle. As soon as she landed in the ship she stepped to the side so Blade could follow her. The Phantom moved and the side panels opened up. Peter jumped from where he'd been sniping and landed on the opened metal platform and moved into the troop area.

"Everyone's aboard," Kathleen informed Luke. "Get us out of here." The side hatches closed and she felt the Phantom maneuver and speed off. "Patrick," Kathleen said as she held out her hand. Patrick got the message and handed her the AI data chip. She slid it into her helmet and felt the familiar cold sensation of the AI entering her suit. She could also already feel the slightly annoying buzzing sensation in the back of her head that was the two AI communicating. "What do you have on the Eternal Light?"

"We are out of this suit for only a few minutes and look at what you've done to it," Iceri scolded. The flashing red lights on her HUD that Kathleen had been ignoring shut off and her view became a lot less cluttered.

"Just give me the information," Kathleen snapped, not really interested in being given a stern talking-to by an AI.

"We found several messages that talked of the ship, some basic layouts, and a location," Alduin answered. "Well, that is we have enough hints from the communications we collected that we've concluded where the location of the ship is."

"Good, send it to Luke." Kathleen turned to Max. "Check over everyone for injuries and treat them." She turned to Tym. "Do an inventory of what weapons we have."

"What exactly is the plan?" Blade asked, watching as her soldiers moved to do as they were ordered. He was standing a bit closer to her than was usual, but he didn't seem to notice he was doing it.

"Nothing fancy," Kathleen answered. "We're just going to steal ourselves a ship." Blade narrowed his eyes and sighed, accepting her choice. It wasn't like they had any other better option. Besides, Kathleen couldn't pass up the chance to steal a rebel cruiser.


	51. Eternal Light

Kathleen watched the cruiser on the forward screen, a bit surprised. It was a CAS-class Assault Carrier, and she wondered how it was that it hadn't been noticed. Then again, she didn't understand how anyone could miss something that big. There didn't seem to be any traffic around it either. Their Phantom was currently stationary - keeping its distance while they decided how they wanted to attack the carrier. Kathleen moved to the back of the ship to join Blade in the troop compartment. Their soldiers were going over their armor and ammunition. Blade was watching his Shadows check their armor for any damage, but he turned to her when she joined him.

"It's a CAS- class Assault Carrier. Not much activity around it, but we can't tell how many troops there might already be on board," Kathleen informed him. "It's possible that there are many if Purg was planning on making his attack right away."

"Unlikely," Blade advised. "He would have needed time to convince the people of his Keep that he was their savior and that they should follow him. Killing a Kaidon doesn't automatically make you leader. It would be pointless to fully arm his ship before he had the support. It is possible he was going to bring the ship out to assert that he had the power to lead. I don't know if he'd need a full crew for that."

"So basically we need to be ready for anything; from a ghost crew to a legion armed to the teeth. I've done more with less information." Kathleen considered their options. "I guess our best option is to head to the hangars and just take it from there. It should give us a bit of a gauge for what sort of staff he has on board."

"I'm sure we can trick them into believing this is Purg's Phantom," Iceri spoke up. "As they should be expecting him."

"Good, then we have our way in." Kathleen turned to their soldiers and raised her voice. "All right, soldiers, prepare for drop. Purg's people think that their bastard leader is coming in to take command of the ship. We're going to give them a surprise, followed by a blade to the face. Then we're going to take their ship and deliver it to the Kaidon as a trophy of our final success." A few of the Sangheili let out short laughs at the idea of delivering the ship as a prize. "We don't know how many enemies there are aboard, so either there will be more than enough for all of you to sink your swords into, or if we'll be fighting over the few scraps Purg left us. We'll clear the hangar then make our way to the bridge." Kathleen took a step toward the soldiers. "By the end of the day, I want to be sitting in that captain's chair!" The ODSS stood up a bit taller, along with a few Shadows. "Luke, take us in."

The Phantom shifted and Kathleen could feel the ship start to cruise forward. Kathleen moved to one of the side compartments and grabbed her energy sword, taking deep breaths. She couldn't help the stiffness that had settled across her chest so she'd just have to deal with it, but she could feel the strain. Her body wanted to rest and she was sure she was still losing blood in some way, as she could tell that she was becoming a bit dizzy. The Phantom came to a stop and a hush fell over the soldiers. Kathleen tensed and stared at the purple metal wall in front of her, waiting. The doors finally opened, and on the platform beside the Phantom stood five Sangheili. They all had their heads bowed, obviously expecting to be faced with Purg, not enemies.

The Sangheili in the center lifted his head and Kathleen flung herself forward. She landed on the platform just as the Sangheili uttered the word "Demon" and started to stand. Kathleen closed the space and her energy sword stabbed through the alien's chest. She pulled her blade free and pushed the Sangheili back, off the platform. Blade landed beside her and his blade cut through one of the Snagheili to her left. She watched as Emily, Tobias, Patrick, and Matthew tackled the last Sangheili to her left, all trying to sink their blades into the alien's flesh. To her right, two Swords had taken down one of their enemies while three Shadows were all standing over the last.

"Looks like it's going to be slim pickings," Peter said from where he was scanning the area below with his beam rifle. "So who wants to place bets on who kills the most enemies?"

"Don't think a scoring system will work with ten people piling on one enemy. Who would get the kill?" James asked. "Is it who stabs first, or who gets the final blow?"

"This Sangheili alone has four stab marks, how do when know which one was the one that killed him?" Matthew asked.

"No games," Kathleen snapped. The ODSS turned to her, surprised. "There are too few enemies and we can't stop every time to fight over who got the kill. I'm sure Purg had more allies, and if they find out we're here they might see this as a chance to kill us and take Purg's place. Now stop wasting time and move." The marines moved along the platform to secure the area. Kathleen moved to a terminal and plugged her AI in. "What can you give me?"

"Very little really," Iceri responded, sounding disappointed. "This terminal is too limited, but we may be able to find others."

"The closer we get to the bridge the more useful the terminals should be," Alduin added. "Though we'll need to be plugged directly into the main console if we're going to take control of the ship. You can split us up in the two systems, but we'd prefer you didn't."

Kathleen pulled the chip from the terminal and slipped it into her helmet. "Odd, because from how often I can feel you two arguing, I'd think you'd like some time apart." Kathleen turned and moved down the platform. Edward took point, Emily to his left and Tobias to his right, as they moved deeper into the ship.

"Look behind you and tell me that arguing means we aren't a team," Alduin countered. Kathleen glanced behind her to Blade, who was on her heels, head swinging back and forward as he looked around the hangar. Kathleen silently cursed, knowing that she couldn't argue against the AI's point. "Ha," Alduin's laugh was deep, like one might imagine how the devil's laugh sounded. "Have you decided yet if you want to kill him or mate with him?"

"I can still split you two up," Kathleen reminded the more aggressive AI. The group moved along the platform along the wall toward the closest door. "Do you have schematics for the ship?"

"I have known schematics of other ships but none of them match up perfectly," Alduin responded. Kathleen was pleased that he seemed begrudgingly submissive. "If you find a terminal on the direct system we can give you an exact map, but until then I cannot even begin to direct you."

"If you see a terminal call it out," Kathleen ordered over the team com. "Do you know the layout of a ship like this?" she asked, switching to a private channel with Blade.

"I have only been on one of these ships before," Blade answered. "I do not remember where things are, so a map would be helpful. We will need to spread out if we want to secure the ship." Kathleen looked to the Sangheili and frowned behind her visor. "If we are found out, then there are places that might be sabotaged in order to stop us. The reactors, the armory, and the hangars need to be secured."

"Then a map would be very helpful," Kathleen agreed. She looked along the wall, searching for anything they could use. Kathleen had only been on Covenant ships a few times, but this one looked the same as every other one she had been on. She knew they weren't all exactly alike, but the purple walls and sliding doors were identical to what she remembered seeing. She would have to stick close to Blade to be sure she didn't get lost.

The group moved through the closest door and set off down the hallways. Kathleen was aware that they likely would be easily found if they came across anyone. The only thing that might save them is that Emily was out front and could quickly dispatch any enemy. For now they were just to take turns that would lead them to the bridge, or at the very least a terminal, but they found nothing. What they did come across after a few minutes was a large room with small alcoves along the wall. There was a platform in the center with some controls, but Kathleen didn't recognize the location. "Where are we?"

"A detention center," Blade answered. He moved past her to one of the alcoves that had a force-field wall closing it off. Kathleen motioned for her soldiers to check the other alcoves before she moved over to join Blade. On the other side of the transparent shield stood a Sangheili that was obviously female. "Demon, this is Kana, Naro's wife," Blade informed her.

The female Sangheili stood tall in her cell. "And what exactly is Naro's wife doing in a cell on Purg's ship?" Kathleen asked.

"This is not Purg's ship," Kana corrected, "it was Naro's. With the attacks on the Keep I felt uneasy, and thought I was safer on board. Then the crew turned on me, and threw me in here. And from you believing this is Purg's ship, I assume that he is the traitor behind this. Though I suppose that you intend to make this ship your own as well." The female Sangheili looked over to Kathleen and sized her up.

"We do plan on adding this to the ships under Vadam control," Kathleen admitted. "That's not a problem for you, is it?"

"I'd prefer that Purg didn't have it," Kana answered. "But who knows what wrath Vadam would bring down on us if he went through with his foolish ideas." Kana looked to Blade. "Did you really need to burn our fields?"

"It was necessary, and can be a building block for future pacts between our Keeps. Purg and Naro are both dead, so chose who you marry wisely. Vadam may be able to build bridges by offering aid. We've recently gained the service of more Unggoy who can work farms."

"I have several eligible males that are open-minded enough that they may be good choices. At least they are young enough that they may end up leaning on my council which should allow me to steer the Keep from war." Kana glanced toward Kathleen. "Does your pet understand anything that we are talking about?"

Kathleen crossed her arms. "You're obviously from the most honorable bloodline in the Keep; meaning that whoever you marry is being given the vote of confidence to mix their genetics with yours, thereby giving them a leg-up in terms of status and making them the top choice for the next Kaidon."

Kana looked to Blade. "You've been teaching our politics to your pet," the female Sangheili growled. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that she is someone I trust. Who, despite me having almost killed her in the past, stands at my side." Blade glanced over his shoulder where Dawn was searching a cell. "I'm thinking that she sees the future that we can have, and she wants to help create it."

Kana still seemed agitated but Kathleen ignored them both. She turned away from them and moved toward the platform. "Can you use this thing?" she asked the AI in her helmet.

"Look for a port and we'll see," was Alduin's response. Kathleen looked over the controls, not really sure what any of them meant. "I do not see anything."

"Then we'll find somewhere else. Now, which button opens up Kana's cell?" Kathleen looked over the set of buttons and tried to figure out if any of them looked different. One symbol looked a bit different from the others and Kathleen tapped it. One of the cells to her right snapped on and she tapped it off.

"Don't just hit random buttons," Alduin scolded her. "Just give me a second." Kathleen scowled, not liking the AI's tone. She hadn't done any damage and she didn't like being told what to do by lines of programming. "Hit the one that's three from the left on the bottom." Kathleen moved her finger to hover over the button. "Yes, that one." Kathleen tapped the button and the cell holding Kana opened.

The female Sangheili Stepped out of her cell and looked to Kathleen. "Are you sure that that was the move you wanted to make? For all you know I could run off and warn the crew of this ship."

"Usually I'm a fan of blowing things up, or slaughtering those that aren't part of my team, but in this situation that wouldn't do us any good, so I'll refrain. We're taking the carrier, but there are Phantoms in the hangar that you can use to get back to the Keep." Kathleen crouched down and searched the controls for anywhere she might be able to slip a data chip in.

"So you're just going to let me go?" Kana seemed genuinely surprised. "Not going to take me back to Vadam as another prize?"

"That would be the most ineffective course of action," Kathleen informed her. "You're already planning to marry someone that wants peace, which is all we want from you. Besides, if we took you to Vadam it would likely only weaken your power in your own Keep - as they'd think we forced you to marry who Vadam wanted, rather than who's right for your Keep for your people's freedom."

Kana Moved across the room to stand before the platform. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for a terminal," Kathleen informed her. "I want to get a map of the ship, but there's no real port on this console." Kathleen stood up, concluding there was nothing that would help her.

"If you head out that door it should lead to the quarters of the officers. I am sure there is a terminal there," Kana informed her. "What exactly is your plan?" Kathleen noted that the Sangheili was looking to her rather than Blade.

"We plan on securing the most open areas on the ship, and then taking the bridge," Blade answered. "What do you plan on doing?"

"Peter, Luke, you'll see the lady to the hangar, get her set in a Phantom." Kathleen looked to Kana. "When we have the ship we'll let you know and you can leave, safe. We'll just fly this baby away and you can find yourself a new husband. Tell of the Shadows that killed your husband and Purg, and how we then stole your prized cruiser. Us doing that much damage should help sway the Keep away from war." Peter and Luke moved over to stand beside Kana. "This is Peter," she motioned to the sniper. "And that's Luke." Luke nodded to Kana politely. "They'll protect you. Luke, I want you to ready one Phantom for Kana and one for us. If Purg's bastards cause some sort of ship-wide system failure, I want to be sure everyone can get off it if it's going to go down. Peter, watch his ass and keep an eye on the doors. If you see anyone you contact me and report in." The two ODSS nodded. "The rest of us will head to the quarters and find a terminal, secure the ship and take control, get a new paint job for it - maybe a gray with some black highlights - and then we'll head home while our new friend here goes and gets her Keep in order."

Kana looked to Blade. "Are all humans like this one?"

"Only the ones worth knowing," Blade answered, moving up to the platform with Kathleen. "We should move. It is possible they are watching this room and may be preparing for us."

"Well then let's get moving," Kathleen turned and moved toward the door Kana had indicated. She heard Blade jump down after her and take up his place behind her. She only glanced over her shoulder once to see Luke and Peter arguing over who would take point as they led Kana out the other door.

The large group of Shadows moved down the hallway and Kathleen was feeling uneasy about how few enemies they were meeting. She wished she'd asked Kana about what kind of troops were on the ship, but it was too late now. Blade only brought them to a stop when he recognized a pathway ahead. He identified it as possible barracks that split off from the main hallway. Kathleen motioned to Dawn and to the left hallway before she turned and moved down the right. Each side of the hallway had ten doors but the group stopped at each door, clearing every room. Kathleen's group had cleared eleven of the rooms when they finally found a terminal.

"We have control over most of the ship's systems from here," Alduin informed her. A map appeared on Kathleen's HUD and the AI continued. "I can give directions to anyone on the team to whatever location you want. You can take out our chip and we'll stay in the system."

"You just don't want to split from Iceri," Kathleen accused. She switched over to the team channel. "All right, Tobias, take a team and hit the armory. Claw, take the other Shadows and go to the engines to secure them. Tym you've got the medical bay team. Blade, Dawn, and myself will take the bridge and secure the controls."

"Stay alert. If there are enemies lurking around here, they know this ship better than we do and likely to be able sneak up on you. Keep your blades ready and strike to kill." Blade looked to his left where Dawn was watching the door. "Are we going to wait for them to secure the other locations before we take the bridge?" Blade asked.

"No, we'll assault it at the same time. If they are trying to sabotage anything, waiting isn't going to make it easier on us. The quicker we get the bridge the sooner we'll have full control, and the sooner we can check systems to give direction to our teams." Kathleen pulled the empty chip from the computer. It felt odd to slide it into her helmet and not feel the cold sensation wash over her brain. She turned to see that Emily and Edward had joined them in the room and she guessed they would be coming with them to take the bridge. She hadn't really assigned them to any of the already established teams, and she trusted her soldiers to know where they belonged.

Edward took point, Emily right behind him with Dawn watching their rear. Blade watched their left while Kathleen took the right, keeping an eye on the map on her HUD. The lack of enemies was still making her nervous, the same as it had in the Keep. They checked each room as they passed them, but they were quickly approaching the bridge and there were absolutely no obstacles. What made it worse was the growing pain across her chest. It was causing her senses to heighten and made her more paranoid.

Kathleen was almost relieved when Peter radioed in. "Ma'am, got a couple contacts. Two Minors but they didn't seem to know what was going on. Their blood did make a cool blue blot on the wall. Looks like a horse."

"He's an idiot, Commander. It is quite clearly a cat," Luke cut in. "Oh, and we completed our escort mission. How much gold do we get?"

"One hundred gold," Kathleen responded, humoring him. "Keep an eye on the door. We're almost to the bridge so be ready to either crack open the alcohol or flee as quickly as possible."

"Well I forgot my corkscrew, so hopefully the Covenant have some kind of bottle opener," Peter responded. "We'll hold our position for now then. Over and out."

"Is something wrong?" Blade asked, pulling Kathleen's attention to him. The group had turned down a long hallway which should lead to the bridge.

"A couple Minors were in the hangar, they've been taken care of," Kathleen informed him. "Apparently they seemed unaware, so either they thought we wouldn't be in the hangar or they didn't know we were here at all."

"That is not what I'm referring to," Blade corrected. "You are tense and you seem to be rushing us getting to the bridge. Now is the time for caution, not haste."

"I'm never relaxed when things are easy. I'm used to a challenge; I was expecting a challenge from Purg." Kathleen shook her head. "I'd feel better if we were facing waves of enemies rather than just walking up to the bridge."

"Have you forgotten the wound on your chest?" Blade reached over and his fingers gently tapped her armor near the slash. He looked down at his finger, a displeased look on his face. "I would call that a challenge."

"At the risk of complementing you, he didn't hurt me as much as you did on Reach." Kathleen pushed his hand away. "I just thought he'd have more soldiers here."

"Purg might have overestimated himself. He thought there was no way for us to find this ship and didn't think we'd kill him. He might have only put a few soldiers here because that was all he needed to keep the ship in place until he was ready to take command." Blade slowed as they reached the door. "Not everything has to be difficult."

"But very few things are so easy; and I intend to trust my instincts when they say something is too simple." Edward moved to one side of the door and Emily moved to the other. Dawn, Blade, and Kathleen all crouched, preparing to charge the bridge. Edward hit the controls and the door slid open silently. Kathleen moved forward but stopped as they were met with an empty room. Blade and Dawn relaxed, but Kathleen felt more on edge than ever before.

"The ship isn't moving," Dawn observed. "No reason to have a bridge crew." She moved forward to one of the stations. "It is possible that the soldier working the comms was one of the ones that met us. Or that was the entire bridge crew."

"Possible," Blade agreed. "There's a terminal near the door where you can retrieve your AI." Blade motioned to wall beside the door. "I will check the weapons systems."

Kathleen moved over to the terminal and pulled the chip from her helmet. She glanced around the room, for some reason feeling like they were being watched. She moved back to the main console and slipped the chip into the first slot she found. It was odd to see Iceri and Alduin's avatars at the same time as they appeared over the controls. "Give me our status."

"There's slight protection around the ships controls, but nothing I can't break through," Alduin informed her. "I'll have this thing flying in no time."

"I think that I should drive," Iceri argued. "With his attitude he'd probably crash us all into a mountain." Iceri crossed the arms of her avatar.

"Excuse me, but who's the creature with wings?" The wings of Alduin 's dragon avatar stretched out and a puff of fire burst from its mouth.

"That's just your avatar," Iceri bickered, her avatar frowning at Alduin's. "It doesn't mean that you can actually fly better."

"I didn't ask you who would fly the ship," Kathleen snapped, causing both AI's avatars to look at her. "I wanted a status report."

Alduin huffed. "Medical bay reports an all clear, but scarce medical supplies to bring back to the Keep. The armory on the other hand is fully stocked, but there were no enemies." the reports didn't make Kathleen feel more secure. Seven seemed too small a crew to man a ship this size, even if the ship was stationary. It also troubled her that the highest ranking armor color she'd seen on the Sangheili they'd encountered was the red of a Major.

"The team that went to the engines found no trace of sabotage, and no enemies, but they did find a Huragok. That could be a great asset to Vadam." Iceri relaxed a bit and her avatar casually put its hands on its hips. "Seems to be clear in the surrounding areas a well, and I'm not finding any sign of enemies in the halls either."

"Good, alert me if anything changes." Kathleen looked down at the holo-controls before her but she didn't recognize anything. She tapped her finger against the metal of the station and waited for one of the AI to come back with something, anything. She wanted to pace the room, look over every inch to be sure that nothing was here - but she kept herself under control, focusing on the symbols before her as though studying for a test.

She heard the low growl first. Kathleen spun around, but it was too late. The blade stabbed through her chest and she could see the glowing blades sticking out of her armor, through the left side of her breastplate. Just from the location she could tell that something vital was injured. Everything slowed down, Kathleen's hand moving up toward the blades as she tried to turn her head and see her attacker. The blades suddenly vanished, which allowed blood to flow again and she could already feel it filling up her lungs. She turned enough to see the Elite in golden armor being pulled back by Emily and Edward. Kathleen's legs started to give out from under her, all strength having suddenly been drained from her body. Strong arms wrapped around her and she was pulled tight against something, but at least she wasn't falling.

Kathleen's gaze was still stuck on the Sangheili as he was pinned down to the ground by Edward and Emily raised a knife. The blade sunk into its neck, at the base, and she dragged it across the alien's throat. Its body spasmed as blood gushed from the wound. The death didn't even register in Kathleen's brain, the only thought she had was of how hard it was to breathe. She gripped at the base of her helmet, clutching at her throat. Kathleen felt herself lifted up off the ground and she knew there was movement. Someone shouted something but Kathleen couldn't make sense of words. Her hand finally found her helmet and she hit the release. She felt like she was suffocating inside her armor and she just needed out. Kathleen pulled her helmet off, letting it drop to the floor. She tried to suck in air but she still found it impossible to take a full breath. She was set down on something but the only thing she knew was it was hard and uncomfortable. Kathleen coughed, her body trying to remove the fluid from her lungs but it only coated her mouth in a copper taste and splattered blood across the armor that she was still pressed against.

Kathleen cursed herself for being so stupid. She should have checked the room first, then she would have spotted the enemy and she wouldn't be in this situation. She wouldn't be drowning in her own blood. Rough skin touched her cheek and the armor pulled away from her. Cold metal touched her forehead and Kathleen realized that she couldn't seem to keep her eyes open. Things were fading in and out and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She found her gaze meeting golden eyes, remembered the feel of what might have been biofoam expanding in her chest, but it couldn't remove the liquid that was already sitting in her lungs. She saw the helmets of her ODSS and for a moment she saw Dawn, but Blade crowded her vision, staying no further than an inch away from her face at all times. She tried to mock him, tell him that she told him something would go wrong, but she had no air with which to speak. Her body felt like it was becoming heavier and heavier, and her breaths were short and shallow.

This was far from how she approved of dying. Being stabbed in the back by an invisible Fieldmaster was definitely not in her top ten. It wasn't even Blade who had stabbed her, just some random Sangheili, and a dishonorable one at that. One that had turned on his Kaidon to follow an assassin for personal gain, instead the honorable Sangheili who were fighting for their species and their Keep - who were now sitting before her trying to save her, eyes locked with her own. She could see Blade's mandibles moving, but his voice was like one long continuous low sound in her ears. Kathleen felt her consciousness slipping and had only one last thought…  
 _  
"This sucks."_


	52. End

Kathleen sat on the wet grass, shivering slightly as the heavy rain soaked her clothing and chilled her to the bone. She just sat and stared at the graves, the broken and desecrated stones. Where once there had been names and dates, there was only chipped stone and cracks that left the inscription impossible to read. She couldn't recall the names or dates that had once been on the rocks. She still remembered her mother's smile however, and the look on her father's face at her mother's funeral. She remembered seeing her parents slow dancing in the kitchen one night when she was very young and had snuck out of bed. Still, their names slipped through her fingers like trying to catch smoke out of the air. Kathleen pulled her legs up to her chest and buried her face in her knees. She should remember their names, how could she not? They meant so much to her, and her parents had always been her role models. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the memories, trying to bring up their names. She couldn't fail like this, she wouldn't forget them like all the others had.

"You look sad." Kathleen lifted her head and looked to her side where a boy, about the same age as her, was sitting. His hair was oddly cut; it was shaved except for a strip down the center of his that was tied in a short ponytail in the back. His skin was a perfect bronze and his eyes were a strange gold color. He seemed so familiar to Kathleen, but at the same time so foreign. She pouted as she had trouble putting a name to his face. Was this someone else she was forgetting like her parents? "Why are you so sad?" His voice was deep, much older than his appearance.

"I can't remember my parent's names. I should remember them, they mean everything to me. They're the source of the Marine blood in my veins, the strength I always wanted to have. How could I forget them?" Kathleen wrapped her arms around her legs. "I want to be strong like them."

"I don't know my parents," the boy beside her said. "None of my people do. We all start out on the same level, never knowing our father. Everyone must fight to gain rank, honor, and to survive. We know our mothers, but they don't have that much to do with our lives as we get older."

"But your females are married to a particular male," Kathleen pointed out. She was vaguely aware of what they were talking about, but she didn't know how she knew it. "Couldn't you just look at who your mother was married to and figure out who your father was?" They boy just stared at her as though she'd grown a second head that spoke Russian. "You've never even thought of it, have you?" Kathleen narrowed her eyes as she looked closely at the boy. "Why are you human and not a Sangheili? And why do you have a full jaw?"

"I don't know. Have you seen enough Sangheili young that you could figure out what I'd look like when I was small?" Kathleen shrugged, her way of admitting that she really didn't. The human version of Blade crossed his arms. "And no, I hadn't really thought about it. My mind was on other things, and it is our tradition that the younglings are taught that we shouldn't know our fathers." The boy stretched his legs out on the grass. "Our important bonds are made while we train and fight."

"Then your whole species is stupid, just like the Spartans," Kathleen huffed. "I never forgot my parents, or their legacy. I still had to fight to try to be like them, but it wasn't just handed to me." She looked back to the graves. "I remember how strong and kind my parents were. That gave me something to strive for, but the UNSC didn't want that for the Spartans. They wanted everyone to be the same, to treat the UNSC like it was their only family, and be obedient."

"But you don't remember them now," the boy pointed out. "So are they really that important to you?"

"I just can't think of their names!" Kathleen shouted, causing Blade to cringe a bit. "I still remember them, I remember their faces and what they were like. It's just their names…Anyway, the point is that I still made those close bonds while training, but I still remembered my parents and it helped."

Blade put his hands up. "All right, I'm not questioning you. Though if I think about it maybe I do know my dad," he started. "I might have met him, talked with him, served with him, but I don't know his name or face for sure so I can't be certain."

"I can't imagine living like that. I still remember my father's face. He was always either happy or stern, and he had strong features that made me feel safe. I remember how he was protective of me, even when it was just an accident. Like, he'd get mad at the wood that bordered the playground because I'd fail to lift my foot high enough and fall face first into the sand. Or when I'd smack my head against the ground. He'd always blame the ground for being too hard, when I was just an overly energetic kid who didn't watch where her feet were going." Kathleen smiled as she remembered how her father used to hold her in his strong arms.

"I kind of wish that I could have had a father like that. One that I knew, at least. Our lives are hard; from the moment we're born we have to fight. There is nothing but combat for us." The boy stood up, reaching down and picking a wooden staff off the ground. Kathleen frowned as well, grabbing her own staff. Her foot slid over the dusty ground and she prepared to defend. "From the day we have the strength to fight, we do." The boy charged forward, making quick strikes toward Kathleen.

"Same thing for the Spartans," she said as she blocked each strike. She stepped to the side as he jabbed at her. "We were only children when they threw us into training." Kathleen moved forward, trying to strike past her friend's guard. "They pit us against adults, and eventually they even started using live rounds in their guns during training exercises because we were kicking their asses. They made us into a family through the struggle of training."

"Is that not the purpose? My brothers and I stood side-by-side, we fought to become warriors, and it built the family bond. It formed the bond to Keep and kin." The boy side-stepped a strike from Kathleen. "It seems that if you take away the most obvious differences and look at how we are the same, there is much more there than I had noticed."

"Really, you didn't notice before that we are alike? And here I thought you were intelligent." Kathleen whacked her stick toward the boy's hand as he shifted and blocked it. The boy smiled at the taunt and shifted to his stance to be more defensive. "You and I are even more alike than you think. Your keep turned its back on you, and took everything you had. I went through that too." Kathleen moved to attacking, striking wherever she saw a chance. "The only difference is that you lost everything over the span of your whole life. I lost it all at once." Kathleen started to hit with more force. "In one big swoop they took away all of my family, my team, and everything I'd ever cared about. Worst of all it was a lie. They were all still alive, and to them I was the one that had died." The boy was stepping backward now to try to get distance between the angry girl and himself. "Then, after years and years, I finally see them again." Her voice was getting louder and her tone more aggressive. "But when they looked at me it was like they were looking right through me." She swung her staff so hard it split apart upon impact against he boy's.

The boy put up his hand in surrender, dropping his staff. "Why is there water on your face?"

Kathleen reached up and rubbed the back of her hand across her cheek, feeling the tears running down her face. She quickly wiped away the offending moisture. "It's nothing, I'm just…it just hurts."

"It has been years since you knew them. Has the wound not healed? Have you not set them aside?" the boy asked.

"Of course it healed. It healed just in time to find Sheila, dead on the battlefield. Then that wound was torn open again. My friend was dead by a Covenant energy sword years after she was supposed to have died due to the augmentations. The UNSC, the organization I had trusted with everything, had stabbed me in the back and lied to me. Then they went public with the Spartan program, I couldn't help myself but check up on the rest of them from time to time and keep that wound open." Kathleen could feel her chest starting to hurt. "And then I met them again, and they looked at me and it was like they'd never seen me before. That didn't just rip the wound open, it stabbed a knife into it and then twisted it, cutting up what was left inside of me." Kathleen dropped the broken pieces of her staff. "I don't think that wound will ever heal. Not after how Fred looked at me."

"Sometimes there are wounds that never heal, we just learn to live with the pain. Maybe this is one of those wounds." Blade shrugged slightly. "I don't know if the wound I carry for Ahwu will ever heal."

"No, I don't know if you'll ever heal. I have no idea how you actually feel about that. Though from the way you killed Purg, I'd guess that you're still plenty angry about it." Kathleen remembered the rage she'd seen on the Sangheili's face as he viciously strangled his enemy. "I've never seen you like that."

The human version of Blade smiled and moved closer to Kathleen. "I didn't do that simply because of Ahwu," he informed her. He moved to stand before her and leaned over, whispering into her ear. "Purg was the one who executed Ahwu. And I couldn't stand for him to kill another part of my family." His words were quiet, and she could swear that she felt a mandible brush against her cheek. Had she made that up, or had he actually told her? Blade moved around her and out of her sight. Kathleen turned with the intention of following him, but pain shot across her chest and she suddenly couldn't breathe. "Calm yourself, Love, just keep breathing."

Kathleen leaned forward and her hand came to rest on a console, keeping herself from falling. She remembered the light, the pain, and the gold Sangheili. "Right…I got stabbed." Her free hand went to her chest, where the blade had stuck clear through. "I guess I thought I was just upset about the Spartans."

Kathleen stepped away from the pedestal and stumbled to the side, barely avoiding the Sangheili fist that swung down to where she'd just been leaning and cracked the screen of the terminal. Blade turned toward her, missing only his left mandible and dressed in his old Field Marshall armor. "That is not a crazy notion. You are aware that all this is in your head, so mental anguish could cause you physical pain in here." Blade turned toward Kathleen and charged forward.

Kathleen stepped to the side and let Blade pass her. She knew she should be fighting him, but she had no weapon. "Guess it is just the sword through my chest. Figures that is how the mission would end." If this was all just some sort of imminent-death induced dream, Kathleen decided to at least give killing Blade a try and rushed the Sangheili. "Once again, when it really mattered, I screwed up." Kathleen threw a punch toward Blade but he batted it aside.

"I would hardly call being stabbed screwing up." Blade grabbed for Kathleen's throat but she deflected his hand. They fell into a steady rhythm of strike and block, each taking a turn at trying to hit the other; for now they were content to just talk and bide their time for an opening. "I would call it an injury, but not screwing up."

"It's not just about when I was stabbed this last time," Kathleen corrected, stepping back to avoid an upper-cut from the alien. "This is about all the other times I've failed. On Reach you nearly killed me, and my team had to carry me off that battlefield. Even then the planet still fell. On High Charity we were just dropped like nothing by the Flood, and we didn't even do any good. They only thing that stopped the Gravemind was the Halo being destroyed and taking out the Ark." Kathleen swung at a small opening but Blade blocked it just in time. "Then there's this mission; the Shadows really didn't need help, and in the end I didn't do much good. You killed Purg on your own, and there was hardly any real opposition on the ship. In the end what did it amount to? Just another loss, with all that blood spilled along way and nothing to show for it in the end."

"Nothing to show for it? Is that what has you upset?" Blade growled and his attacks became more aggressive. "You're angry that you haven't gotten anything in return for your service?" Blade landed a punch to Kathleen's stomach, causing her to double over. "We are warriors, and we should expect no reward other than honor. Since when have you felt like you needed to be rewarded for doing your duty?"

Kathleen flung herself forward and her shoulder slammed into Blade's chest, causing them to fall to the ground. "You think this is all about me?" Her hands moved to his neck and sat on his chest. "My soldiers have sacrificed everything since they've been under my command, and what has it got them? Crippled and augmented, with no option in life other than serving in the military. Every time I led them into those situations, I put them in danger. And when it came down to it, we didn't even have enough authority to be anything other than trial-run experiments for the Spartans." Her grip loosened around the Sangheili's neck. "You know what it's like to lead; you know the responsibility that comes with it." Kathleen's hands were only lightly gripping his neck now. "You know I wasn't even supposed to be a leader. I was the always the second-in-command of my team in training, but I was never allowed to lead directly because I just wasn't good at it." Kathleen paused for a moment before muttering, "…they made a mistake when they chose me."

The Sangheili under Kathleen suddenly became an upward force. Kathleen was flung from the alien and a moment later he was on top of her, foot on her chest and hand pushing her helmet down to the ground. "Enough!" he roared into her face. "Since when have you doubted yourself? Since when has the woman that cut up my face thought herself not good enough?" He leaned down and growled in her face. "What happened to my confident partner?"

Kathleen reached up and grabbed his lower right mandible. "This is my delusion, so I'm allowed to doubt myself in my own head when I'm dying." She yanked on the mandible, like she was trying to pull it off. "You look stupid with this damn thing."

Blade seemed to ignore the tug. "No, there is no room for doubt. Not ever." His hand moved and he leaned forward, setting his helmet against hers. "I refuse to fight someone that can't even properly stand up for themselves." Blade pulled back and stood up, moving away.

Kathleen lay on the ground for a moment, trying to get her head straight. Her chest was burning painfully now and it was getting hard to breathe. She sat up with a lot of effort, struggling to take in a full breath. "Shut up," she muttered as she struggled to her feet. "Don't act like you never doubt yourself. We all do at some point, but we get over it and press on." Kathleen gripped her chest plate and cursed as she felt the split in her armor from where Purg had sliced into it. "Just let me have my moment…for now." Kathleen sat down in what looked like the Shipmaster's chair from a Covenant cruiser. "I just need some rest, and then I'll be fine."

Blade paced before her, finally looking right in his Shadow armor and with only two mandibles. "I suppose some rest is in order, Love. But when you wake up there is still much left to be done." Blade moved over and set a plasma rifle in her lap. "There are still questions without answers."

Kathleen let out a long breath. "Is nothing ever finished?" Her finger trailed over the weapon. "Though I suppose in reality you don't know about that yet."

"Don't know about what?" Blade's remaining mandibles shifted in what Kathleen had come to know as a smile as he moved over to stand beside her chair. "What do you plan on doing about it?"

"First, I'm going to get a good night's sleep." Kathleen placed her hand on the rifle. "Then I'm going to see if anyone will listen about these weapons. I'll try and Admiral or a Captain, and avoid ONI if I can. Then I'll make sure that my soldiers are protected from any backlash. Something like this has to be high enough on the list of 'things you don't go talking about' to threaten even black-ops soldiers like me." Kathleen let her head fall back against the chair. "Though I'm still sort of pissed about how this mission ended." She looked over to Blade who was watching her. "I shouldn't have listened to your stupid ass." Blade twitched his mandibles in annoyance. "I told you something was wrong, but no, I listened to you and let my guard down. Next thing I know I'm drowning into in my own blood…that was just bullshit. What a crappy way to end a mission, it's not even fair."

"Life is not fair, my friend," Blade said as he leaned down toward Kathleen. "When you wake up, you'll have to come back home and tell me that this is all my fault. I'll probably deny it at first, but in the end promise to watch your back better next time. Of course not until we've had at least a little fight to decide who's to blame." Kathleen smiled and turned, looking out through the window of the cruiser at the mountains of Sanghelios that surrounded them. "But for now, rest. I'm sure I'll have many more enemies for you to kill when you return."

Kathleen could feel her eyelids starting to droop. The pain in her chest was fading, but so was what strength she had left in her body. She wrapped her fingers around the handle of the plasma rifle and held tight. She couldn't die, not just yet…There was certainly more work to be done.

When Kathleen's eyes opened she was met with familiar looking white walls and ceiling, and a rhythmic beeping that indicated her heart was working. So, at least she was still alive. Kathleen blearily looked around the room and had mixed emotions about what she found. None of her soldiers were present, and there was no sign of Blade anywhere. The only person who was in the room was sitting at the right side of her bed, holding her hand in his. For a moment Kathleen wondered if she was still unconscious, and if this was just a recreation of one of the many medical rooms she's been in throughout her life. She couldn't fathom any other reason why he'd be there beside her bed, his thumb gently moving over her skin. She focused on that contact and realized how rough his skin was, not at all the way she remembered. The realization that he was really there quickly turned into confusion, then just as quickly to aggression. In her anger the blurriness faded from her vision and Kathleen sat up suddenly, and tugged her hand from his. "What are you doing here, Frederic?" she snapped, scowling at him.

Fred's eyes widened in surprise at her sudden transition into full alertness. However he registered her hostile attitude quickly and leaned back in his chair, becoming a bit more formal. "I was waiting for you to wake up," he answered. "How do you feel?" Although the question seemed personal, his tone was completely neutral.

Kathleen shrugged, and couldn't stop herself from flinching as she moved her torso. Fred leaned toward her slightly in concern when she showed signs of pain, but Kathleen ignored him. "I'm fine, just got stabbed in the chest." Kathleen reached up and rubbed gently at area where the blade had gone through her. "Where's the medic? I could use an estimate on how soon I'm getting out of here."

"Not for a while," Fred informed her. "There was a lot of blood loss, a punctured lung, and your other lung had almost completely filled up with fluid." He tapped his finger against the arm of the chair. "You're lucky to be alive. They said it barely missed a few other vital organs, and that if you hadn't turned at the last second the sword would have stabbed you through the heart."

"That wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to my heart," Kathleen growled. She stared into his eyes, which were now full of both relief and apprehension. But still all she could think of was when those same eyes had looked straight at her and hadn't recognized her at all. "Where are my soldiers? I need a report on how our mission went." It worried her that they weren't there. Had something gone wrong after she'd fallen unconscious? Why else would they not be here and Fred not been kicked out? It made sense that Blade wouldn't be there, despite how much she wished he were so she could know for sure that he was alive - but as far as she could tell this was an exclusively human facility.

"Your troopers were here earlier, but they said something about needing to go for some scheduled training." Fred turned his gaze to the floor. "They did tell me to give you a message if you woke up before they came back. They said that the van was at the summer home, the silverware was in the kitchen, and that they saved your trophy." Fred looked up at Kathleen for just a moment before looking down again. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Why would I tell you?" Kathleen relaxed onto her bed and let out a long breath. She stared up at the ceiling. "Where are we anyway? Last I knew I was…well, I guess I can't say. You're not privy to that information."

"Am I not privy to that information because it's classified, or simply because you're mad at me?" Fred frowned but he still didn't raise his eyes. "Your soldiers were rather hostile toward me."

"Really, after your last run-in with them they were unfriendly? What a surprise," Kathleen sneered sarcastically. "Just tell me where I am, dough boy."

Fred finally looked up again, a rather annoyed expression on his face. "You're on Earth, in the infirmary of Keyes Base." Kathleen furrowed her brow, not familiar with the location but Fred seemed to notice and explained. "It's still sort of a makeshift UNSC outpost, but they are apparently planning on making it into a full-fledged base. Most of our bases were heavily damaged during the Covenant's attack on Earth, and they still don't have a lot of them back up and running yet, so some temporary locations like this one have been set up."

"I don't really care," Kathleen turned her head toward the male Spartan and frowned at him. "How long was I out to have made it all the way back to Earth without waking up? Had to have been weeks even with the slipspace travel."

"From what I understand, it's been about three to four weeks. But your soldiers wouldn't tell me exactly how long. They seemed to believe that my rank didn't entitle me to any information. At least the medical staff was more accommodating."

"Yeah, because rank alone means that you should be respected," Kathleen said as she rolled her eyes. She looked to the wall across from the foot of her bed, able to tell it was poorly constructed compared to the proper facilities she'd been in before. She didn't want to think about how she'd missed that now obvious detail, so she turned her mind to other things. "You didn't kill my cat, did you? No, if you had you'd be in the infirmary yourself. Unless my soldiers are still fighting over who gets to kick your ass first."

"Your cat is safe," Fred assured her. "I've gotten a few scratches, but she's been staying with me in the barracks. She does seem to have warmed up to me though." Fred stared at Kathleen, his gaze a bit distant.

"So how exactly did you find out I was here?" Kathleen asked. She was used to her missions and current location being kept top secret, so she didn't have any idea how Fred would have found out she was in the infirmary. "Or have you grown even softer than you used to be, and now like to sit at all the wounded soldier's beds and just wait for them to wake up?"

"A Spartan in intensive care with a major injury like yours? It's hard to keep the medical staff and soldiers from gossiping about it," Fred answered. "They haven't had much for us to do since we got back to Earth, so I've had plenty of extra time to listen in about comings and goings. When I heard some soldiers talk about a blonde-haired female Spartan being in medical, I figured I had to see if it was rumor or fact. Deep down I knew it was you, but I wasn't expecting how bad your injuries were."

"So you were looking for me?" Kathleen asked, not sure how she felt about that. A part of her wanted him to have been looking for her, but the other part was afraid that it would just be like the last time they met. "Do you actually have a reason to be here, or are you just here to annoy me while I'm trying to relax and recover?"

"I do," Fred admitted. He leaned forward and set his arms on the bed. He paused, obviously thinking over what he wanted to say one last time before he risked upsetting her again. Not a bad decision, seeing as even with her injury Kathleen was ready to knock him out if he pissed her off. Fred finally took a deep breath and spoke. "I wanted to ask if you'd give me another chance. Could we just start over? When we last met things didn't go at all like how I wanted. I believed you were dead for so long, so I didn't even think…and now, well, I'd like us to try to start fresh."

Kathleen eyed the Lieutenant up, trying to figure out if he was trying to trick her or was simply going to cause her more pain with empty promises. His tone was still very formal, and she wondered if he was just hoping to get her agreement without a fight. Was he just trying to build bridges between the ODSS and the Spartans? She considered how willing she was to risk listening to him. "That depends on one thing, Frederic," Kathleen said, her voice quiet, causing Fred to lean in a bit.

"And that is?" Fred asked. The look on his face and his tone sounded like that of a General waiting to hear what demands she was making for a peace treaty. Maybe he was right to treat it that way, as they were now standing at the crossroads of whether or not their friendship - at the very least - could be saved. His reaction to what she was about to say next would determine which path they were going to end up going down.

"You." Kathleen answered. "It all depends on how you want start again." She relaxed and waited for Fred to make his move. She couldn't change what he was going to decide any more than she could change what missions the Admirals had decided to send the ODSS on. She could only sit and wait for him to speak.

Fred's gaze held hers for a moment before he reached out and took Kathleen's hand in his. His expression softened and a smile spread across his face, the same sort of shy smile that she remembered so well. "Hey, Kathleen," he said quietly. "I missed you."

Kathleen wanted to be mad. She wanted to slam her fist into his face and insult him some more for having forgotten her before…but she didn't. The new scar across her chest and the burning sensation she still felt when she breathed reminded her that she'd had too many losses over the years to turn down a win like this. Kathleen smiled slightly and her hand moved to grip Fred's. "Hey, Fred." She squeezed his hand lightly. "I missed you too."

End


End file.
